Turkish Analyst Claims Galatasaray Would Have Beaten Sporting With Osimhen

Turkish football analyst Sinan Engin says Galatasaray would have gotten a different result against Sporting CP if Victor Osimhen had been fit to play.

Galatasaray lost the Champions League clash without their Nigerian striker, who missed the game after picking up an injury in the 3-2 win over İstanbul Başakşehir. The club later confirmed Osimhen was carrying a groin problem.

Speaking on the Asist Analiz YouTube channel, Engin said Galatasaray had plenty of the ball against Sporting but couldn't make it count. He didn't think much of the opponent either, and believes things would have gone differently with Osimhen on the pitch.

"Galatasaray had possession percentage but no results. Perhaps they are one of the weakest teams they could play against in the Champions League. I don't accept that Sporting is a flying, amazing team," Engin said. "If Galatasaray had been a little better, and Osimhen had been there, this match would have been very different."

The loss adds to a rough pattern for Galatasaray in Europe whenever their star striker is missing. The Turkish champions haven't won any of their last six Champions League matches without Osimhen in the squad.

Since the start of last season, they've lost to Sporting Lisbon, AZ Alkmaar, Eintracht Frankfurt and Union Saint-Gilloise, and drawn with Malmö and Rigas Skola, all games Osimhen sat out.

Galatasaray will now be hoping their striker recovers quickly from the groin injury so he can get back on the pitch and help turn their European form around.