Galatasaray have been encouraged by Victor Osimhen’s return to partial training ahead of next Tuesday’s Champions League meeting with Barcelona in Istanbul.
The Nigeria international has been out for several weeks with an adductor injury but has now resumed work with part of the squad. His progress gives Galatasaray hope that he could feature against Barcelona, although the club are continuing to manage his recovery carefully.
Osimhen took part in only a section of the training session before completing an individual programme. Galatasaray must now decide whether to give him some playing time in Friday evening’s match against Kasimpasa or keep him out entirely and prepare him directly for the Champions League tie.
The fixture with Kasimpasa is the club’s final opportunity to assess their players before Barcelona visit Istanbul. Any decision on Osimhen’s involvement is expected to take into account his fitness and the need to avoid aggravating the injury after his prolonged absence.
There has also been positive news regarding Wilfried Singo. The defender is continuing to train individually as he works towards a full return to group sessions.
Galatasaray will play on Friday evening, while Barcelona face Getafe in La Liga on Saturday. That schedule means the Turkish side will have one additional day of rest before the Champions League encounter.
The latest developments come as Galatasaray look to improve a start to the season that has not been at its best. They are second in the Turkish league with 13 points from six rounds.
Their European campaign also began with disappointment. Galatasaray were unable to win their opening Champions League match, losing 1-3 to Sporting Lisbon.
The club will therefore hope Osimhen can make sufficient progress to strengthen their options for one of their most demanding fixtures of the season.