Buruk Admits Galatasaray Missed Injured Osimhen In Kocaelispor Win

Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk has admitted that his side missed Victor Osimhen during their hard-fought 1-0 win over Kocaelispor.

The Turkish champions secured all three points at home after centre-back Abdulkerim Bardakci scored 19 minutes from time. Galatasaray managed the win without Osimhen, who missed his second consecutive match after suffering an injury in the club’s 3-2 win over Istanbul Başakşehir on September 4.

Buruk said Osimhen’s absence was noticeable, particularly because of the Nigerian striker’s ability to lead the team’s pressing and cause problems for opposing defenders.

“Having Osimhen is a strength, not just because of the player himself, but also psychologically. Just having him on the field makes a difference. Playing with him is a different experience,” Buruk told the club’s official website.

The Galatasaray manager also praised Deniz Türüç, who made his first appearance for the club and had several chances to score against Kocaelispor.

“Deniz had two or three chances today that he could have easily scored from. Despite this being his first match, I was pleased with his performance,” Buruk said.

Buruk stressed that Osimhen gives Galatasaray another dimension in attack but insisted his squad has enough quality to compete without the Nigeria international.

He said, “With Osimhen, the game is very different, especially when it comes to pressing from the front and having a striker like him in the penalty area. We are strong with Osimhen.

“We are also strong without him because we have quality players. But we miss Osimhen. We put our opponents under a lot of pressure today, but it is always important to have a clinical striker. I was pleased with Deniz’s performance as well.”