Victor Osimhen: When will Super Eagles striker return to action for Galatasaray?

Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen is expected to return to action for Galatasaray in their Süper Lig fixture against Kasımpaşa on October 9, Afrik-Foot reports.

The 27-year-old was initially named in Eric Chelle’s Super Eagles squad for the opening 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.

However, the Nigeria Football Federation and Galatasaray subsequently agreed that Osimhen should withdraw from the squad to continue his recovery, with the Istanbul club’s medical team formally advising against international duty. Taiwo Awoniyi replaced the former Napoli striker in Chelle’s list.

Turkish sports daily Fanatik has now confirmed the specific return timeline that has emerged from Galatasaray’s medical rehabilitation programme.

Galatasaray confirmed the specific diagnosis of Osimhen’s injury as a moderate to advanced level strain with bleeding in the right groin area.

As a result, the former LOSC Lille striker missed Galatasaray’s Champions League league-phase opener against Sporting Lisbon, the Süper Lig meeting with Kocaelispor and the fixture against Trabzonspor, with two of those games ending in losses for Okan Buruk’s side.

His absence from those fixtures produced a vacuum that Turkish football pundit Sinan Engin identified in the aftermath of the Sporting defeat.

When will Victor Osimhen be back?

Per Fanatik, Osimhen’s return is targeted for Galatasaray’s Süper Lig fixture against Kasımpaşa on October 9, which is the club’s first competitive match after the international break concludes.

That fixture at the RAMS Park Stadium will be the first opportunity Nigerian supporters have to see Osimhen back in Galatasaray action since his injury, while serving as a warm-up for the highly anticipated UCL fixture against Barcelona in the same venue four days later.

Prior to his spell on the sidelines, Osimhen was in blistering form, producing six goals and two assists across the opening four Süper Lig matches of the 2026/27 campaign.

The challenge Osimhen faces on his comeback is that the Galatasaray attackers, in his absence, have not produced the same goal-scoring output during his absence.

Head coach Okan Buruk’s decision to deploy Baris Alper Yilmaz through the middle across the specific fixtures Osimhen was met with criticism, while Rafael Leao has been subpar.

As such, Osimhen will have very little time to warm up before the demands of bailing Galatasaray out land on his shoulders.