Lille boss Davide Ancelotti says team effort needed to contain Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen

Lille head coach Davide Ancelotti has warned his players that it will take a collective defensive effort to contain Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen in Wednesday night’s UEFA Champions League meeting.

Osimhen, who previously played for Lille, has made an impressive start to the season in Turkey. The Nigeria international has scored six goals and provided three assists in seven matches across all competitions.

The striker has not registered a goal or assist in his past two appearances, against Barcelona and Genclerbirligi, but Ancelotti remains acutely aware of the threat he poses.

“We stop him as a team. It doesn’t depend on one player; it always depends on the team,” Ancelotti said, according to bylepetitlillois.

“He’s a player who, in Naples, almost single-handedly won the Scudetto.”

Ancelotti said Lille would need to stay alert throughout the match, with Osimhen capable of influencing the game both through his finishing and his movement.

“We know his potential, we know we always have to be vigilant when attacking and when defending,” he added.

“We know they’re a team with a lot of individual quality, with players who have a lot of experience in this competition, who know it well. We always have to be vigilant.”

The Lille manager also underlined the wider quality within the Galatasaray squad, rather than focusing solely on Osimhen. He said the Turkish side possessed several players with extensive UEFA Champions League experience and the individual ability to punish lapses in concentration.

Osimhen will return to familiar territory when Galatasaray visit Lille, the club where he previously featured, and will be aiming to score his first UEFA Champions League goal of the campaign.

The Nigeria striker will also be looking to help Galatasaray secure a positive result, despite having failed to contribute directly to a goal in each of his previous two matches against Barcelona and Genclerbirligi.