Viktor Osimhen is back in Galatasaray’s plans for Friday night’s Super League visit of Kasımpaşa to RAMS Park, five weeks after a muscle injury ruled him out of club and country duty. The Nigerian striker returned to team training on Wednesday but the club doctor says no one will risk him ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League date with Barcelona.
| injury | Grade 2 muscle injury, right adnexa, with large hematoma |
| When | September 4, 3-2 win over Istanbul Basaksehir (after 33 minutes) |
| Released | Sporting CP, Kocaelispor, Trabzonspor; Nigeria – Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau |
| Back to training | Wednesday, October 7 |
| Next games | Kasımpaşa (Friday), Barcelona (Tuesday 13 October), both at RAMS Park |
Day by day
The damage was worse than it first appeared. Osimhen limped off in the 33rd minute of a 3-2 win over Basaksehir on September 4 due to pain in his right groin area, and scans revealed a Grade 2 muscle injury with heavy bleeding. Doctors, working with radiologists at a partner hospital, had to drain a large hematoma.
Then patience.
“His injury is not something to be taken lightly,” Galatasaray doctor Yener Ince said on the club’s YouTube channel. “We’ll take it day by day, step by step. We don’t want to take any chances.” Inca also explained the delay in rejoining the group. “The player had an upper respiratory infection when he came here,” he said.
So Wednesday was the beginning. It’s not over. Osimhen, who attended a part of the session held at Kemerburgaz Metin Oktay facilities, then returned to the individual program with the medical staff.
Cameo, not flashback
Turkey’s Yeniçag writes that Okan Buruk does not plan to start his top scorer against Kasımpaşa, and a half-hour off the bench is the most likely outcome if the game permits. Think of it as a groin test. Nothing more. Barcelona comes to Istanbul four days later.
Numbers explain patience. Before the injury, Osimhen had six goals and two assists in four league matches. This is an eight goal participation. Galatasaray sit second in the table and want him fully for the league and subsequent European games.
Three games passed without him.
What it means for the Super Eagles
Nigeria felt the absence more. Osimhen was withdrawn from Eric Chelle’s squad after his recovery was slower than expected. He continued his rehabilitation in Lagos and was replaced by Taiwo Awoniy. The results were poor. The Eagles beat Madagascar 2-1, lost 3-0 in Guinea-Bissau and then held their debut team to a 3-3 friendly draw in Russia, which saw Nigeria drop four places to 30th in the latest FIFA rankings and sixth in Africa behind Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire.
The next competitive test is the AFCON 2027 qualifier against Tanzania in November. That gives Osimhen a month of club football to regain his sharpness.
The next few days are crucial for a player whose rise we have followed in our Osimhen and Davido piece. Minutes on Friday, then a fitness call before Barcelona. Nigeria will follow both.
Up close.
This article was last revised and updated 12 seconds ago