Galatasaray receive major Osimhen boost ahead of Barcelona clash

Galatasaray have received a massive boost with Victor Osimhen scheduled to return to action against Kasımpaşa on October 9, ending a disruptive month-long spell on the sidelines.

The 27-year-old forward, who has led Cim-Bom to consecutive league titles, sustained a right adductor muscle strain during Galatasaray's 3-2 Istanbul derby victory over İstanbul Başakşehir on September 4.

Medical scans subsequently confirmed a moderate strain with bleeding in the right groin area, forcing an extended rehabilitation programme.

Prior to the injury, Osimhen was in blistering form, producing six goals and two assists across his opening four Süper Lig appearances of the 2026/27 campaign.

His extended absence has been acutely felt by Okan Buruk's squad. Without their primary goalscorer acting as the focal point, Cimbom's attacking output collapsed dramatically.

The team managed to score just two goals across the three matches they played in his absence. This blunt attack directly contributed to a damaging domestic Süper Lig defeat to Trabzonspor, alongside a loss in their UEFA Champions League opener against Sporting CP in Lisbon.

The targeted return against Kasımpaşa at RAMS Park arrives at a critical juncture in the calendar.

The fixture serves as an essential competitive warm-up before Galatasaray host Barcelona in a UEFA Champions League clash at the same venue four days later, a match where the club will desperately rely on the Nigerian's physical dominance.

The muscular setback also carried significant international repercussions for the Nigerian national team.

Osimhen was initially named in Eric Chelle's Super Eagles squad for the crucial 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau. 

Following formal advice from Galatasaray's medical staff regarding his recovery trajectory, the striker was forced to withdraw from the camp, resulting in the Nigeria Football Federation drafting Nottingham Forest's Taiwo Awoniyi as his direct replacement.