OSIMHEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has spoken highly of Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen ahead of their UEFA Champions League match on Tuesday, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.

Flick called the Super Eagles forward a fantastic player. He warned his team not to underestimate Galatasaray. He made these comments after Barcelona's 3-0 victory over Getafe on Saturday, as reported by Fotomac.

“We’ll be playing against Galatasaray on Tuesday,” Flick said.

“We’ll be playing in the world’s loudest stadium. We need to prepare for that. This is the Champions League, it’s different. Every team in the Champions League is very good.”

He then talked about Osimhen’s ability and his teammates.

“Galatasaray have a fantastic striker like Osimhen; they really have a great squad. We need to be ready for this match. We must play our best football against Galatasaray,” he added.

Osimhen, 27, has scored six goals and made three assists in five league matches this season. He came back from a groin injury on Friday. He came off the bench to assist Mario Lemina’s 96th-minute goal in Galatasaray’s 3-1 victory over Kasımpaşa, even while playing with 10 men.

Osimhen is likely to start at RAMS Park, having last done so in the 3-2 win over İstanbul Başakşehir in September.

The 2023 African Footballer of The Year also cautioned his team about Barcelona’s quality.

“Barcelona is a very big team. You shouldn’t be happy about playing against them, because they have very quality players,” he said, according to Futbol Arena.

“It will help us both collectively and individually. I’m happy for matches like this. It will be a great match.”

The striker knows Barcelona well. He scored for Napoli in a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their 2024 Champions League round-of-16 tie, but Napoli lost the second leg 3-1 and got eliminated.

Galatasaray needs points after losing 3-1 to Sporting CP in their opening match. Barcelona, on the other hand, began with a 5-1 win against Feyenoord. The Turkish side has also had a tough time against Barcelona historically, with only one win, two draws, and five losses in eight Champions League meetings.