By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Galatasaray president Dursun Özbek has delivered an encouraging update on Victor Osimhen’s recovery, revealing the Nigerian striker is expected to be available for selection ahead of the highly anticipated derby against Fenerbahçe.
The development comes as Nigeria intensifies preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, following the disappointment of failing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Osimhen was substituted at halftime during the Super Eagles’ decisive playoff defeat to DR Congo and has since been easing back from injury.
The forward missed Galatasaray’s midweek Champions League loss to Union SG and has not yet fully returned to first-team training.
Despite this, Özbek expressed confidence that the club’s medical team is satisfied with Osimhen’s progress.
“Our players who have returned from injury will be in the squad for the Fenerbahçe derby. Osimhen should be in the squad on Monday, and he probably will be,” Özbek said.
“That’s the goal in our discussions so far. Our other players who have returned from injury will likely be in the squad as well. We will field a very good team.”
Galatasaray will hold their final training session today, with club medics closely assessing Osimhen’s readiness ahead of what could be his return in one of the club’s biggest fixtures of the season.
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.
