Galatasaray Coach Sends Message to Osimhen and His Teammates Ahead of Lille Clash
- Galatasaray coach issued a strong warning to Victor Osimhen and his teammates ahead of their Champions League clash with Lille
- The Turkish Super League champions have lost both their opening UCL matches, leaving them with zero points after two rounds
- Okan Buruk identified the next five matches as decisive for Galatasaray's chances of progressing from the group stage
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Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk has issued a strong warning to his squad, including Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, as the Turkish Super League champions prepare to face Lille in their third UEFA Champions League group stage match.
The Istanbul club has endured a difficult opening to this season's Champions League campaign, picking up no points from their first two outings.
Source: Getty Images
In their opening match, played without Osimhen, Galatasaray fell 3-1 to Sporting Lisbon. The Nigerian forward returned for the second game but could not prevent a heavy 4-1 defeat to Barcelona.
Buruk warns Galatasaray players
The situation is a sharp contrast to last season, when Galatasaray successfully advanced through the 36-team group phase. This time around, they find themselves at the foot of the table with matchday three already upon them.
Buruk addressed his players through club channel GS TV, emphasising that the upcoming fixture is not one they can afford to lose.
“We will do our best to win... because we are playing a crucial match,” he said.
“The next five matches are particularly critical for us. The first of these five matches is tomorrow. To advance to the next round, we need to collect very important points in these matches. The points we get tomorrow will keep us in the upper ranks.”
A defeat against Lille would put Galatasaray in serious danger of an early exit, with five matches still to play. Their remaining opponents after the Lille fixture include VfB Stuttgart, Aston Villa, AEK Athens, Feyenoord, and Paris Saint-Germain, a run of games that offers little margin for error, as confirmed by UEFA.
Buruk's message made clear that the Lions must start accumulating points immediately if they are to stay in contention for the knockout rounds.
Galatasaray’s record against French clubs
Legit.ng previously reported Galatasaray’s record against French clubs ahead of their UEFA Champions League match against Lille in France.
The match sets important milestones in Galatasaray’s European journey, and it is also a reunion for star striker Osimhen with his former club.
Source: Legit.ng
