UCL: Super Eagles star Osimhen holds Manchester City and Guardiola’s fate in his hands

Manchester City head into their final Champions League league-phase match under pressure, with qualification for the last 16 still not guaranteed.

With Galatasaray visiting the Etihad Stadium, Victor Osimhen stands at the centre of a night that could shape both City’s campaign and Pep Guardiola’s European fate.

Pep Guardiola has urged his players to focus purely on beating Galatasaray rather than worrying about permutations, after City slipped to 11th following a shock 3-1 defeat to Bodo/Glimt.

The Premier League champions are level on 13 points with several teams, but sit outside the automatic qualification places on goal difference.

A win would boost their chances of finishing in the top eight and avoiding the playoff round, but they also need favourable results elsewhere.

Guardiola’s side will again be without several injured players, with Rodri suspended, although Erling Haaland and Phil Foden are expected to return. Despite City’s strong home record in Europe, recent results have introduced uncertainty ahead of a decisive night.

Galatasaray arrive knowing a positive result could secure their place in the knockout rounds and potentially push them closer to the top eight.

The Turkish giants are also chasing history, sitting just two goals short of becoming the first Turkish club to reach 250 goals in the European Cup and Champions League combined.

Much of that responsibility falls on Osimhen, who has scored six goals in five Champions League matches this season. The Nigerian forward has 50 goals in 59 appearances for Galatasaray and is one European strike away from becoming the club’s all-time leading foreign scorer in continental competition.

Fresh from helping Nigeria finish third at AFCON 2025, Osimhen will again spearhead the attack, supported by former City players İlkay Gündoğan and Leroy Sané.

With City’s top-eight hopes and Galatasaray’s historic ambitions on the line, the Super Eagles star could once again prove decisive on a major European night.