By Olaleye Oluwadamilola
Galatasaray have confirmed that Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen will not feature in their UEFA Champions League League Stage opener against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday as he continues his recovery from injury.
The Istanbul club will begin their 2025/26 European campaign at the Frankfurt Stadion without their record signing, whose return has been delayed despite head coach Okan Buruk’s earlier optimism.
Osimhen sustained the injury during Nigeria’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Rwanda, exiting the match in the opening minutes.
A medical report from Galatasaray later revealed that he suffered a moderate ankle ligament sprain, accompanied by stretching and bleeding.
The 26-year-old has not yet regained full fitness, forcing Buruk to exclude him from the travelling party to Germany.
Galatasaray’s squad for the Frankfurt clash includes: Ugurcan Cakir, Metehan Baltaci, Ismail Jakobs, Davinson Sanchez, Roland Sallai, Gabriel Sara, Mauro Icardi, Leroy Sane, Yunus Akgun, Batuhan Sen, Eren Elmali, Berkan Kutlu, Gunay Guvenc, Ilkay Gundogan, Ahmed Kutucu, Kaan Ayhan, Yusuf Demir, Lucas Torreira, Abdulkerim Bardakci, Baris Alper Yilmaz, Wilfried Singo, Arda Unyay, and Mario Lemina.
After the European fixture, Galatasaray will return to domestic duty with a league tie against Konyaspor, where the club hopes Osimhen can be fit enough to strengthen their attack.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
