Osimhen Faces Lille Test As Galatasaray Chase First Champions League Victory

Nigerian football stars Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen and Christian Nwachukwu are set to feature in UEFA Champions League fixtures as the league phase continues on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 20 and 21.

According to Bush Radio Academy, Lookman’s Atletico Madrid will travel to face Stuttgart on Tuesday, while Nwachukwu’s Sabah host Borussia Dortmund. Osimhen’s Galatasaray are scheduled to visit Lille on Wednesday, with fellow Nigerian Moses Usor also facing uncertainty over his availability for LASK’s trip to Sporting CP.

Atletico Madrid will take on Stuttgart at the MHPArena, with kick-off scheduled for 8 p.m. Nigerian time. Diego Simeone’s side will be looking to recover from their 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in their opening league-phase match, despite having won their last six games across all competitions.

Lookman scored in Atletico’s 2-0 victory over Manchester United last week and has recorded two goal involvements in 11 appearances this season.

Stuttgart, however, will enter the encounter after winning their opening two Champions League matches, defeating Viking 3-1 and Slovan Bratislava 3-0. The German side suffered a 1-0 loss to Hamburg in the Bundesliga at the weekend.

Meanwhile, Nwachukwu’s Sabah will welcome Borussia Dortmund to Baku, Azerbaijan, with the match scheduled to begin at 5:45 p.m. Nigerian time.

Sabah will hope to build on their historic 2-0 victory over Slavia Prague last week, which secured the club’s first win in the competition. The team have also won all five of their home matches in the Champions League, including qualifying fixtures.

Dortmund, on the other hand, have gone three matches without a victory around the international break, giving Sabah an opportunity to seek another positive result.

The 20-year-old Nwachukwu joined Sabah from Sheffield United in August and was part of the squad that defeated Slavia Prague. He also featured in the club’s 4-0 league victory over Gabala on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Slavia Prague, who have Nigerian players Mubarak Suleiman, Emmanuel Ayaosi, Moses David and Samuel Isifie in their squad, will visit Fenerbahce at 5:45 p.m. Nigerian time on Tuesday. Both teams will be seeking their first victory in the league phase.

Slavia have lost their opening matches against Lens and Sabah, while Fenerbahce drew 1-1 with Roma before suffering a heavy 6-0 defeat to Aston Villa.

Attention will shift to France on Wednesday when Osimhen’s Galatasaray face Lille at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, with kick-off scheduled for 5:45 p.m. Nigerian time.

Both sides have lost their opening two Champions League matches and will be eager to get their campaigns back on track. Galatasaray suffered a 3-1 defeat to Sporting CP before losing 4-1 at home to Barcelona, despite taking the lead in both games.

Lille have also lost their first two fixtures in the competition and were held to a 1-1 draw by Brest in Ligue 1 at the weekend.

Osimhen played the full 90 minutes in Galatasaray’s 1-0 league victory over Gençlerbirliği on Saturday, with a late own goal proving decisive. The Nigerian striker will be expected to play a key role as the Turkish side seek their first Champions League points.

LASK will also be on the road on Wednesday when they travel to face Sporting CP. Usor remains doubtful after missing last week’s match against Liverpool.

His compatriot Samuel Adeniran, meanwhile, will hope to feature after scoring in LASK’s 4-0 victory over Austria Lustenau on Saturday.

The upcoming fixtures offer several Nigerian players an opportunity to make an impact on Europe’s biggest club competition, with some teams seeking to maintain their early momentum and others desperate to secure their first points.