Victor Osimhen will undergo knee surgery on Saturday, in a major blow to Nigeria just days before the Super Eagles’ must-win AFCON 2027 qualifiers against Tanzania.
Galatasaray confirmed the news in a club statement on Friday. The striker strained his left knee during Tuesday’s Champions League match against VfB Stuttgart, which the Turkish champions won 2-0. A subsequent MRI scan detected a loose body in the joint, and arthroscopic surgery has been scheduled for Saturday, 7 November at Maslak Acibadem Hospital, to be carried out by club doctor Yener Ince.
Osimhen has also been removed from the Galatasaray squad for Saturday’s Süper Lig match against Amed S.F., underlining how seriously the club is taking the problem.
Galatasaray confirm the surgery plan
In their statement, Galatasaray said the MRI had detected a loose body in Osimhen’s left knee and that surgery had been planned for Saturday. The club gave no recovery timeline, and there is no indication yet of how long the striker will be sidelined.
Acıbadem Sağlık Raporu | Victor Osimhen
UEFA Şampiyonlar Ligi’nde VfB Stuttgart ile oynadığımız karşılaşmada sol dizinde esneme oluşan ve yapılan MR tetkiklerinde serbest fragman tespit edilen oyuncumuz Victor Osimhen için yarın Maslak Acıbadem Hastanesi’nde kulüp doktorumuz… pic.twitter.com/8PkRWNfB8q
— Galatasaray SK (@GalatasaraySK) November 6, 2026
A huge blow days before Tanzania
The timing could hardly be worse for Nigeria. Osimhen is expected to miss the Super Eagles’ AFCON 2027 qualifying double-header against Tanzania — the first leg in Uyo on Friday, 13 November and the return in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, 17 November.
Head coach Eric Chelle had been counting on his star striker for two games Nigeria must win, and losing him at this stage forces a rethink of the entire attack. With no timeline given for Osimhen’s return, Chelle and his staff will have to plan for the Tanzania games without their most reliable source of goals.
Victor Osimhen: Who leads the line now?
The most obvious answer is already in form. Kelechi Iheanacho scored his 17th league goal of the season on Friday evening as Bursaspor drew 1-1 away at Antalyaspor, and he is now a strong option to lead Nigeria’s attack in Osimhen’s absence.
Iheanacho has scored in almost every game he has played for Bursaspor this season, and his confidence in front of goal is sky-high. Chelle may also look at other forwards in the squad, but on current form, few can match the Bursaspor striker’s numbers.
In form before the injury
What makes the setback even harder to take is that Osimhen had been in excellent form. He scored against Konyaspor on 1 November and had earlier struck a brace in the derby win over Fenerbahçe, reminding everyone why he remains Nigeria’s most important player.
Galatasaray and Nigeria will now hope the operation goes smoothly and that the recovery is as short as possible. For now, though, the focus shifts to Saturday’s surgery — and to who can step up for the Super Eagles while their talisman is out.
For more on the weekend’s football, check our today’s predictions, and read about Victor Osimhen’s net worth — the story of his rise to become one of Africa’s biggest stars.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC0 / public domain / CC BY) — collage by SportsBuddy
