Galatasaray Boss Calls for Rule Change as Osimhen, 6 Galatasaray Stars Face Suspension
- Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk has called for a change to UEFA Champions League suspension rules
- Victor Osimhen and six other Galatasaray stars face suspension if they receive a yellow card against Liverpool
- Okan Buruk is concerned about the possibility of not having his top players for the second leg trip to Anfield
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Galatasaray manager Okan has called for a change to UEFA Champions League suspension rules as seven of his players are at risk of missing the second leg against Liverpool.
The Turkish champions will host their English counterpart in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 at Rams Park on Tuesday, March 10, 2026.
Source: Getty Images
Liverpool finished third in the 36-team table, while Galatasaray finished 20th and defeated Juventus 7-5 on aggregate during the Round of 16 playoffs.
The two sides met in the group stage, with Galatasaray coming out on top, thanks to Victor Osimhen’s penalty, adding an extra intensity to the knockout tie.
Buruk calls for rule change
The second leg of the double-legged encounter will take place at Anfield on March 18, 2026, and Galatasaray could be without seven players for the match.
According to This Is Anfield, seven Galatasaray players are at risk of suspension if they pick up yellow cards in the first leg in Istanbul tonight.
Victor Osimhen, Noa Lang and the entire backline of goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, and defenders Ismail Jakobs, Davinson Sanchez, Abdulkerim Bardakci and Roland Sallai must watch their steps.
Liverpool have two players at risk: Curtis Jones and Conor Bradley, though the latter is out of the first leg due to injury anyway.
Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk is displeased with the rule, claiming that his team has played more matches than their opponents due to their involvement in the playoffs.
“Of course, after playing eight matches, adding two play-off matches makes a total of ten matches. Actually, after ten matches, there could perhaps be a reduction regarding yellow cards,” he told GS TV.
“As it stands, yellow cards will be wiped clean in the semi-finals. This is, of course, a difficult situation for many players. As I said, as the number of matches increases, I think UEFA should make a change regarding this.”
Source: Getty Images
He admitted that their card situation will demand extra caution from the players, and at the same time, he has to field his best team to get results.
“On the one hand, we need to play our best in this match, and on the other hand, we need to be very careful not to get any unnecessary cards. Any kind of card can happen during a game, but we need to avoid unnecessary ones,” he concluded.
Arne Slot expresses concern about Osimhen
Legit.ng previously reported that Arne Slot admitted that it would be a challenge to stop Victor Osimhen during the Champions League match against Galatasaray.
The Liverpool manager claimed that Galatasaray has many weapons, but the first one that comes to mind is Osimhen, who will lead the attack.
Source: Legit.ng
