LAGOS SEPTEMBER 25TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Victor Osimhen remains in discomfort but Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk says he is still banking on the Nigerian striker for their Champions League clash against Liverpool, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Osimhen has been sidelined since sustaining a chin injury while on international duty with Nigeria during their 1-0 win over Rwanda in Uyo earlier this month.
The 26-year-old has missed four matches for both club and country, including the Super Eagles’ 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw with South Africa and Galatasaray’s games against Konyaspor, Eyüpspor and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Providing an update after Galatasaray’s 3-1 win over Konyaspor at the start of the week, Buruk confirmed that Osimhen had resumed partial training but is still not fully fit.
The coach admitted that the forward continues to experience pain, though he is hopeful he will feature in the coming matches.
“He took part in part of the training session,” Buruk explained.
“He has minor aches and pains. But if he can tolerate them and play, we hope he will be with the team in our next match.”
The manager revealed that Osimhen has been gradually reintegrated into full sessions, though the process is being handled carefully.
“We will try him out in training. He has played [in training] for 10 minutes already. His pain is still there. We expect him to be in the squad for the Alanyaspor match and to be on the pitch for the Liverpool match.”
Buruk emphasised the importance of Osimhen’s presence, especially with a demanding run of fixtures ahead. He said the squad must remain positive after opening a six-point gap at the top of the league table.
“Even though we did not play well at times, we finished the first half 2-0 ahead. Extending the difference to six points gave us confidence. With matches against Alanyaspor, Liverpool and then Beşiktaş coming up, this morale is important.”
The coach also reflected on the broader squad situation, noting that other players were struggling with physical issues.
“Yunus Akgün and Ismael Jakobs both felt some pain, so we had to take them off,” he said.
“We know Yunus can play in the number 10 role and he did an important job.”
Osimhen, who joined Galatasaray on a permanent deal this summer after a decisive loan spell last season, has already scored twice in his first two starts of the current campaign.
His potential return against Liverpool would provide a major boost for Buruk, who is aiming for a stronger European run following last season’s early exit from the Europa League.
“With the quality players we have, I believe we can perform even better in the coming matches,” Buruk said.
“The most important thing for now is that we keep winning and increase the points difference, while making sure players like Victor recover in time for the big games.”
Punch
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