Osimhen Warns Galatasaray Against Barcelona Ahead Of UCL Clash

Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has warned Galatasaray not to be too excited about facing Barcelona ahead of their UEFA Champions League meeting on Tuesday, describing the Spanish giants as a team filled with quality players.

Osimhen expressed happiness about facing Barcelona but stressed that the Turkish champions must prepare for a tough encounter with the Catalan side.

“Barcelona is a very big team. You shouldn’t be happy about playing against them, because they have very quality players. It will help us both as a team and individually. I’m happy for matches like this. It will be a great match,” Osimhen said, according to Futbol Arena.

The 27-year-old Nigerian international spoke about the Champions League game after returning from a groin injury in Galatasaray’s 3-1 win over Kasımpaşa in the Turkish Super Lig on Friday, September 9.

Osimhen came off the bench and provided the assist for Mario Lemina’s 96th-minute goal to seal the victory at RAMS Park. Naija News gathered that Galatasaray was reduced to 10 men after Lucas Torreira was sent off in the 65th minute.

Abdülkerim Bardakcı opened the scoring for the hosts in the first half before Jesurun Rak-Sakyi equalised in the 68th minute. Barış Alper Yılmaz restored Galatasaray’s lead in the 90th minute before Lemina completed the scoring in stoppage time.

Osimhen also welcomed the opportunity to experience another Champions League night at RAMS Park, where he has featured in several European fixtures since joining the Turkish club.

The striker previously faced Barcelona during his time at Napoli, scoring in a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their 2024 Champions League round-of-16 tie. However, Napoli lost the return leg 3-1 and were eliminated from the competition.

Galatasaray will be looking to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat away to Sporting CP in their opening Champions League fixture. Barcelona, meanwhile, began their campaign with a 5-1 victory over Feyenoord.

The Turkish champions also face a difficult historical record against the Spanish side, having recorded one win, two draws and five defeats in eight previous Champions League meetings.