Sinan Engin, the former player turned pundit, has said that Galatasaray lose a great deal of their threat and identity when Victor Osimhen is not available, Footynaija.com reports.
The Super Eagles striker is currently out with a hamstring problem, and Engin believes the club’s recent performances show how much the Turkish champions rely on him for energy and belief.
Galatasaray confirmed that Osimhen suffered a strain in his left hamstring while on international duty and that scans have already been completed. The medical team is managing his recovery day by day, and the forward is being monitored ahead of the high pressure Fenerbahçe derby.
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Engin pointed to the striker’s standout performances against Liverpool in the Champions League and against Bodø Glimt earlier in the campaign. Those two nights, which included a decisive goal against the Reds and a brace away in Norway, were used by Engin as examples of how Osimhen lifts the entire squad when fit.
“Without Osimhen, Galatasaray looks like a very normal team. Where are he, Liverpool, and Bodo’s matches? Galatasaray fans must have been in a pessimistic mood in the first half,” he said, in his appearance on the Beyaz Football programme.
He then shifted the focus to the Fenerbahçe derby, warning that Galatasaray will be stepping into one of the season’s most emotional fixtures without their main striker at full sharpness.
“They have a very difficult job in the Fenerbahçe derby.”
Engin stressed that the derby means more than many realise at this stage of the season, saying it could set the emotional tone for the months ahead. He warned that the current squad may find it difficult to cope if Osimhen isn’t fit in time for the match.
“Galatasaray’s task is very difficult. This match is even more important than the Champions League match. Galatasaray wants to win the Fenerbahçe match, or at least avoid losing. If they go to Kadıköy with their current starting eleven, their task will be very difficult.”
