Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk has admitted his side have struggled in the absence of Victor Osimhen following a dip in form in recent weeks.
The Turkish champions have seen their lead at the top of the Super Lig cut to just two points after going winless in their last three matches, suffering two defeats and a draw.
Osimhen’s absence has been a major factor in that run. The Nigerian striker has been sidelined since sustaining a forearm fracture during Galatasaray’s 4-0 defeat to Liverpool in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie on March 18. Since then, the team have picked up just one point from a possible nine.
Speaking after their 1-1 draw against Kocaelispor, Buruk pointed to both a demanding schedule and injuries within his squad, while acknowledging the importance of Osimhen to the team’s attacking play.
More Read
“Playing three games in a row this week wore us out. The most critical part was having two or three players at half capacity. Yunus, Lang and Sara played with injuries,” Buruk said.
“The game with Osimhen is also valuable and important. It was tough without Osimhen.”
Buruk also highlighted the toll of European competition on his squad, noting that Galatasaray’s Champions League campaign added a significant physical and mental burden.
“We played 12 matches in the Champions League. That’s equivalent to maybe 24 Super Lig matches. You wear yourselves out a lot there, physically and mentally,” he added.
Osimhen has since returned to training and is expected to make his comeback soon, offering a timely boost as Galatasaray look to regain momentum in the title race and push for domestic honours.
This season, Osimhen has scored 12 goals and provided four assists in 19 Turkish Super Lig games. He has found the back of the net 19 times in 29 games across all competitions this season.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
