Six years after leaving, Victor Osimhen returns to LOSC with Galatasaray this Wednesday in the Champions League. A crucial match for two teams still searching for their first European point.
This Wednesday, 21 October 2026, at 18:45, Victor Osimhen, the 27-year-old Nigerian striker, returns to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy with Galatasaray for a Champions League match. According to Anadolu Agency, it is the first time he has officially faced his former club, LOSC, where he scored 18 goals in 38 appearances in the 2019-2020 season.
Beyond this return, both teams come into the match under enormous pressure. Lille and Galatasaray have still not opened their points tally after two Champions League matchdays (source: UEFA.com). Lille lost to Real Betis (2-3), then at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal (3-0), while the Turks fell to Sporting CP (3-1) and Barcelona (4-1). Another defeat would significantly complicate their European ambitions.
Eye-catching statistics for Osimhen
Since arriving in Istanbul, the Nigerian goalscorer has already racked up 65 goals in 81 appearances in Galatasaray’s red and yellow shirt (source: footballdatabase.eu). At the start of this Turkish season, he has 6 goals and 3 assists in the Süper Lig.
His return to Pierre-Mauroy is therefore a test for the Lille defence, which will have to contain a striker in prolific form.
Ancelotti puts his faith in the collective
Faced with the Osimhen threat, LOSC head coach Davide Ancelotti, appointed on 8 July 2026, is involved in one of the most decisive matches of his early European tenure. He preaches solidarity above all: “We stop him with a collective. It doesn’t depend on one player, it always depends on the collective. He is a player who, at Napoli, almost won the Scudetto on his own,” he told Punch Newspapers.
The coach stressed his team’s need for vigilance: “We know the potential he has, we know we always have to be vigilant when we attack and when we defend.” Lille, like Galatasaray, have not yet picked up a single point in the Champions League. Galatasaray, for their part, have a difficult recent European record away from home, with just one win in their last 16 UEFA away matches (Anadolu Agency).
Absences for the Turks
For this trip, Galatasaray will have to do without Portuguese winger Rafael Leão, who has a groin injury, according to Anadolu Agency. Ivory Coast international Wilfried Singo is highly doubtful. These absences could make life harder for Okan Buruk, the Istanbul club’s head coach.
Despite these absences, Osimhen remains the player to watch on the Turkish side. The match will be refereed by Slovenia’s Rade Obrenovic, and both teams are still looking for their first points in this league phase.