Victor Osimhen to undergo knee surgery ahead of Nigeria’s AFCON qualifiers

Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen is due to have surgery on his left knee on Saturday, November 7, creating fresh uncertainty over his involvement in the Super Eagles’ upcoming 2027 AFCON qualifying matches.

Galatasaray confirmed on Friday evening that the 27-year-old sustained the injury during the Turkish champions’ UEFA Champions League match against VfB Stuttgart, All Nigeria Soccer reported.

The club said an MRI scan had found a loose fragment in Osimhen’s knee. He will undergo arthroscopic surgery at Maslak Acıbadem Hospital, with the procedure to be carried out by Galatasaray club doctor Yener Ince.

Osimhen has been omitted from Galatasaray’s squad for Saturday’s match against Amed Sportif Faaliyetler while he prepares for the operation.

The injury is another setback for Nigeria, who are already dealing with uncertainty over the availability of their leading striker. Head coach Eric Chelle is preparing for two important fixtures against Tanzania in the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign.

Nigeria will host Tanzania on November 13 before travelling to Dar es Salaam for the return match on November 17.

The Super Eagles have three points from their first two matches. They began the campaign with a 2-1 victory over Madagascar but then suffered a 3-0 defeat by Guinea-Bissau.

Osimhen missed both of those games because of injury, and another absence would leave Chelle without the Galatasaray forward as Nigeria attempt to improve their position in the qualifying group.

Galatasaray have not yet said how long Osimhen is expected to be unavailable, nor have they provided an indication of when he might return to competitive football.

That leaves Nigeria waiting for further information before their two November fixtures, with the striker’s recovery now a key consideration for Chelle’s plans.