Osimhen is back in Galatasaray training, five days before Barcelona come to Istanbul
Victor Osimhen took part in Galatasaray training on Wednesday for the first time since injuring his adductor on 4 September, the club doctor said. Galatasaray play Kasımpaşa on Friday and host Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday.
- Out since 4 September with a grade 2 adductor injury and a large haematoma.
- Six goals and two assists in four games before the injury.
- Galatasaray lost 3-1 at Sporting in their Champions League opener without him.
Osimhen scored the opener against İstanbul Başakşehir on 4 September and went off after 33 minutes with pain in his right groin. Tests showed a grade 2 injury with heavy bleeding in the adductor group. He missed the Champions League opener in Lisbon, a 3-1 defeat to Sporting, and the league games since.
On Wednesday he did part of the session with the squad. Club doctor Yener İnce said there is no chronic injury and that the haematoma was drained with a different method. "No queremos arriesgarnos" (we do not want to take risks), he said, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo: the decision will follow the latest test results.
Before the injury Osimhen had six goals and two assists in four games. Galatasaray are second in the Süper Lig with 13 points from six games, level with leaders Amed SK. Wilfried Singo and Mario Lemina are also back for Okan Buruk.
Galatasaray host Kasımpaşa on Friday and Barcelona at RAMS Park on Tuesday 13 October, kick-off 22:00 in Istanbul (20:00 UK). Osimhen has scored against Barcelona before, in Napoli's 1-1 draw in the 2023-24 last 16.
Osimhen plays against Barcelona, at least from the bench
We think Galatasaray hold him back on Friday and use him against Barcelona, even if only for the last half hour. A striker with six goals in four games changes a home Champions League night, and Galatasaray already lost once without him. If he does not make the squad for Kasımpaşa, we will read that as a sign Tuesday comes too soon.
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