Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk has confirmed that Victor Osimhen is available for his side’s UEFA Champions League fixture against Atletico Madrid.
Osimhen had raised injury concerns after limping off during Nigeria’s semi-final defeat to host nation Morocco at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. The setback ruled the 27-year-old striker out of the Super Eagles’ third-place playoff victory over Egypt last Saturday.
However, the forward has since returned to Turkey and wasted no time resuming training. Osimhen rejoined his Galatasaray teammates on Monday and trained fully the same day, easing fears over his fitness.
Buruk confirmed the striker’s readiness ahead of Wednesday’s European showdown.
“Osimhen joined the squad yesterday. He trained with us, and it was a good training session,” Buruk said.
“Ismail Jakobs will be in the squad. Sara will train with the team and test herself. Singo won’t be with us for this match. Our squad has grown a bit more. This has been a morale boost, especially for me.”
The Turkish Super Lig champions will host Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid at RAMS Park on Wednesday, with Osimhen’s return providing a timely boost as Galatasaray seek a positive result on the European stage.
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.
