Galatasaray set Osimhen return date for Barcelona clash

Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen is edging closer to a Galatasaray return after continuing his rehabilitation in Nigeria.

The Nigeria international is targeting a carefully managed comeback against Kasımpaşa before Galatasaray’s Champions League showdown with Barcelona.

Left out of Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, Osimhen spent part of the international break in Lagos. In Nigeria’s former capital city, the 27-year-old continued treatment under the supervision of a physiotherapist after Galatasaray’s medical team advised against him joining Nigeria for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The former Napoli ace was initially included in Eric Chelle’s squad but withdrew after his recovery from the muscle injury proved slower than expected. Taiwo Awoniyi was subsequently brought into the squad as his replacement.

The latest reports from Turkey suggest that Osimhen’s rehabilitation has progressed sufficiently for Galatasaray to consider giving him a controlled return to competitive football when the league resumes.

Osimhen: Kasımpaşa return could come before Barcelona

Osimhen’s injury dates back to Galatasaray’s 3-2 victory over İstanbul Başakşehir on September 4. The Nigerian forward, believed to be at par with Erling Haaland, opened the scoring with a superb finish but was forced off in the 33rd minute after suffering discomfort in his right groin.

Galatasaray’s subsequent medical examination found an advanced-moderate strain with bleeding in the right adductor muscle group.

The setback ruled him out of Galatasaray’s Champions League opener against Sporting CP and subsequent Süper Lig matches against Kocaelispor and Trabzonspor.

Now the recovery clock points towards Friday, October 9, when Galatasaray host Kasımpaşa at RAMS Park.

According to Yenicag Gazetesi, Osimhen is expected to be available for the match, but Okan Buruk is not planning to throw his star striker straight back into the starting XI. Instead, the Nigerian could be introduced for roughly 30 minutes, depending on the state of the match.

Galatasaray face Barcelona at RAMS Park on Tuesday, October 13, only four days after the Kasımpaşa fixture.

The Kasımpaşa fixture could therefore serve as Osimhen’s competitive bridge back to full fitness rather than the grand return itself. A short appearance would give Buruk the chance to test the striker’s groin under match conditions, assess his sharpness and build his workload without exposing him to unnecessary risk.

Galatasaray will be keen for Osimhen, whose market value has taken a recent hit, to quickly regain the form he started the campaign with. The 2023 Africa Footballer of the Year scored six goals and supplied two assists in his first four Süper Lig appearances before the injury interrupted his run.

In Osimhen’s absence, Galatasaray slipped to second on the Super Lig table behind Gift Orban’s Amed SK, albeit on inferior goal difference.