Galatasaray manager suggests whether Victor Osimhen will play against Liverpool after fitness struggles

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Liverpool will be looking to bounce back from their first Premier League defeat of the season.The Reds were played at their own game by Crystal Palace at the weekend, with the South London side scoring a last-minute winner to hand them their first loss during their title defence.Performances from Liverpool have been rather sub-par thus far, with Arne Slot hoping they can turn their fortunes around when facing Galatasaray on Tuesday.Champions League games do not get much harder than this as travelling to this part of Istanbul is never easy, with this being one of the most hostile stadiums in Europe.Galatasaray’s team is certainly stacked with quality too, with their most dangerous player being striker Victor Osimhen.However, the Nigerian has had injury problems of his own in recent weeks, and their manager has just dropped a hint regarding his fitness.Photo by Isa Terli/Anadolu via Getty ImagesVictor Osimhen a ‘risk’ for Liverpool gameMost of Europe are well aware of just how good Osimhen really is, and Liverpool definitely do after being linked with him this summer. He was one of the best strikers in the world during his time at Napoli and has certainly continued his form in Turkey, with the Nigerian scoring 26 goals in the league alone last season.However, the start of the new campaign has been plagued with an ankle injury, although he is closing in on a return to full fitness.At the weekend, Osimhen managed to play the last five minutes of the game, suggesting he is not there just yet, although his manager has admitted he might be willing to risk him.“We wanted to play him [Osimhen] for ten minutes today.

We wanted him to experience the pain,” Buruk told reporters this week as per the Liverpool Echo.READ MORE: How Arne Slot and Liverpool are privately feeling about Florian Wirtz after disappointing start“Sometimes there’s pain, and it’s important to go through pain. He’s not 100% physically ready.

We’ll assess his pain and physical condition before thinking about the next match [vs Liverpool].“I specifically brought Osimhen on so he could play 10 minutes, have a chance to play the next match, and contribute to us.“We may have changed our formation and had trouble covering the opposition. However, we’re taking these risks to ensure he [Osimhen] plays.”Liverpool’s defence needs to improve if Victor Osimhen playsLiverpool have struggled all over the pitch at the start of the new season, but the biggest area of weakness has come in defence.The Reds have conceded far too many goals and other than Virgil van Dijk, the entire defence has struggled massively and cost the Reds goals.Up against a striker like Osimhen, this simply cannot happen, as the 26-year-old will almost always punish mistakes that come his way.Whether he plays the last 10 minutes or the full game, Liverpool need to be on top form if they are to get a result from this tie, with a good performance desperately needed after the weekend.