Galatasaray include Osimhen in squad for Juventus clash despite injury scare

Galatasaray have named Victor Osimhen in their travelling squad to Turin for the UEFA Champions League knockout-phase playoff second leg against Juventus, easing fears over the striker’s fitness.

The Turkish champions head to Italy with a commanding three-goal advantage after a 5–2 first-leg victory, in which the Nigeria international delivered two assists in the closing stages of the match.

Osimhen had been a major doubt after suffering a knee issue and was rested as a precaution during Galatasaray’s 2–0 defeat to Konyaspor. However, after returning to training on February 24, head coach Okan Buruk included the former Napoli forward in the provisional squad for Wednesday’s clash at the Allianz Stadium.

Buruk will be hoping Osimhen avoids any recurrence of the injury, with Galatasaray having struggled in his absence this season. The Istanbul side lost both Champions League matches he did not feature in, including a 5–1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the league-phase opener and a surprise 1–0 loss to Union SG in November.

The first leg was historic, marking Galatasaray’s first-ever five-goal haul in a Champions League proper match and the first time a Turkish club has scored five goals against an Italian side in a UEFA club competition.