Victor Osimhen has already scored against Liverpool this season.
Galatasaray faced the Reds in the league phase of the Champions League. The Turkish side claimed a 1-0 win over their English counterparts. Osimhen was the difference at RAMS Park in late September.
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The Nigerian goal machine scored from the spot in the 16th minute of the European tie earlier in the campaign. What Galatasaray wouldn’t give for a repeat on Tuesday evening. The pair lock horns in the round-of-16 clash, with the first leg taking place this week before the return fixture at Anfield next week.
And with Osimhen leading the charge, Gala have as good a chance as any at getting the better of the Merseyside outfit.
Osimhen shining domestically and on the continent
Despite plying his trade away from one of Europe’s ‘top’ leagues, Osimhen still has a lengthy list of admirers, and rightly so. After all, he ranks among the top five players for goals scored (11) in the Turkish Super Lig this season. What’s key, though, is that the 27-year-old is coming up trumps when it matters most.
Indeed, he scored the only goal of the game in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Istanbul rivals Besiktas. The strike saw Osimhen maintain his fine run of form. He’s directly contributed to 10 goals in his last nine Gala outings, netting six times in the process. One of those goals came at the Juventus Stadium last month, his seventh in the competition.
Considering this Liverpool side is far from defensively sound, they should be wary about Osimhen’s goal threat.
What’s notable is that Osimhen is not afraid to chance his luck when presented with the opportunity to go for goal. Only Kylian Mbappe (45) has fired off more shots than the Nigeria international (35) in Europe’s elite club competition this season. Against this Liverpool side, this could prove the difference.
Giving Liverpool a rough time
The Reds are conceding just 8.6 shots per 90 in the 2025-26 Champions League campaign. Only Premier League pair Chelsea and Manchester City (8.4) are giving up fewer. Osimhen, though, is the one to have had the joint-most shots against Liverpool (4) in the Champions League match this season. The centre-backs will be aware they are in for a rough 90 minutes.
What’s vital, too, is that Osimhen isn’t afraid to put himself about. He’s a striker committing 0.9 fouls per 90 and winning 3.7 aerial duels per 90. The Gala star boasts a commendable 58% aerial success rate in the Champions League. Osimhen’s not afraid to ruffle feathers in Galatasaray’s pursuit of success.
Considering the Turkish giants favour a 4-2-3-1 setup, Osimhen is the ideal frontman to lead the charge. A clinical finisher and a hard worker, he’ll run the channels to force defences into mistakes, thus presenting another route to goal. In addition, Osimhen’s hold up play is elite. The former Napoli man is an incredibly strong striker who can hold off pressure from even the most aggressive defenders.
The perfect lone forward?
A player who operates as the lone striker should, in theory, lose the ball often. Not Osimhen, however. This is clear in that he is being dispossessed just 1.3 times per 90 in the Champions League. Once he brings the ball under control, there are few who can win possession back.
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It’s this quality to his game that makes Osimhen such a dangerous forward. Even when opponents feel they have backed the forward into a corner, he’s able to maintain his composure and wait for support from teammates. Liverpool found this out in Istanbul in September, and are expected to do so again this week.
A trip to Gala won’t be a walk in the park for the Reds, as they quickly discovered earlier in the season. The Turkish giants haven’t been consistent in the Champions League in the 2025-26 campaign. They have won only one of their last six European outings, though that was a 5-2 home triumph over Juventus in their playoff clash.
Victory over the Italian side was one of the rare games that Osimhen didn’t score. However, he wasn’t afraid to put himself about, winning three aerial duels and making one tackle against the Old Lady. Even when he’s not scoring, Osimhen is keeping defenders occupied and freeing up space for teammates to exploit.
As such, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate face a tough test in order to minimise Osimhen’s threat this week. Even if they prevent the Gala hitman from netting, there is more to his game than just putting the ball in the back of the net. If either, or both, centre-backs are bullied by Osimhen, then it could prove an incredibly awkward first leg clash for the defending Premier League champions.
