Osimhen, Lookman face Champions League tests against Barcelona, Man United

Nigerian forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman face challenging assignments in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday as Galatasaray host Barcelona and Atletico Madrid welcome Manchester United on matchday two.

Osimhen’s Galatasaray will welcome Spanish giants Barcelona to RAMS Park, seeking to recover from their 3-1 defeat away to Sporting CP in their opening fixture.

Barcelona, meanwhile, began their campaign with a commanding 5-1 victory over Feyenoord and have won all nine of their matches this season, including Saturday’s 3-0 triumph over Getafe.

Osimhen has enjoyed an impressive start to the season, recording six goals and three assists in five league appearances.

The 27-year-old recently returned from a groin injury, coming off the bench on Friday to provide the assist for Mario Lemina’s 96th-minute goal in Galatasaray’s 3-1 victory over Kasimpasa.

The Nigerian striker is expected to return to the starting lineup against Barcelona, where he will be looking to help the Turkish champions secure a positive result.

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick acknowledged Galatasaray’s attacking threat, specifically praising Osimhen ahead of the encounter.

“Galatasaray have a fantastic striker like Osimhen; they really have a great squad,” Flick said.

Osimhen also expressed respect for the Catalan side but welcomed the opportunity to face one of Europe’s leading clubs.

“Barcelona is a very big team. You shouldn’t be happy about playing against them, because they have very quality players,” he said, according to Futbol Arena.

“It will help us both collectively and individually. I’m happy for matches like this. It will be a great match.”

The Super Eagles striker is familiar with Barcelona, having scored for Napoli in a 1-1 draw against the Spanish side in the first leg of their 2024 Champions League round-of-16 tie. Napoli, however, lost the return fixture 3-1 and were eliminated.

Galatasaray’s historical record against Barcelona offers little encouragement, with the Turkish club recording one victory, two draws and five defeats in their eight previous Champions League meetings.

Lookman Faces Manchester United

Elsewhere, Lookman’s Atletico Madrid will host Manchester United at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, with kick-off scheduled for 8 p.m. Nigerian time.

Atletico suffered a 2-1 defeat away to Liverpool in their opening Champions League fixture but have responded with four consecutive victories across competitions.

Manchester United, on the other hand, opened their European campaign with a 4-0 win over Sabah but have since struggled for consistency, going four matches without a victory across all competitions, according to the report.

Lookman has scored once in all competitions for Atletico this season and could begin the encounter on the bench, with Julian Alvarez and Giuliano Simeone reportedly favoured to lead the attack.

The Nigerian has faced Manchester United three times in his career, scoring once for Everton in a 2-1 Premier League defeat in January 2021.

Other Nigerians in Action

There will also be Nigerian interest in Baku, Azerbaijan, where Sabah host Slavia Prague.

Sabah’s Christian Nwachukwu is expected to come up against four Nigerian players in the Slavia Prague squad: Mubarak Suleiman, Emmanuel Ayaosi, Moses David and Samuel Isifie.

Sabah lost 4-0 to Manchester United in their opening fixture, while Slavia Prague suffered a 3-2 defeat to Lens and are reported to have gone 16 European matches without a victory.

On Wednesday, Nigerian forward Moses Usor could miss LASK’s trip to Liverpool after sustaining a shoulder injury.

The Nigerian contingent will be hoping to make a stronger impact in the second round of fixtures after none of the players’ teams recorded a victory on matchday one, according to the report.

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