Osimhen to undergo knee surgery and miss Nigeria qualifiers

Galatasaray said Victor Osimhen will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on November 7 after an MRI found a loose body, ruling the striker out of Nigeria’s November Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Tanzania, according to reports. The club has not announced a recovery timeline.

The club said Osimhen strained his knee during Galatasaray’s UEFA Champions League match against VfB Stuttgart. It scheduled the operation at Maslak Acıbadem Hospital, to be performed by club doctor Yener İnce. The reports say Osimhen was withdrawn from Galatasaray’s squad for its November 7 match against Amedspor.

Nigeria are scheduled to face Tanzania in a two-match qualifying series for the 2027 tournament. The first fixture is set for November 13 in Uyo, with the return match scheduled for November 17 in Tanzania. Osimhen’s expected absence would leave Nigeria without the Galatasaray forward for both games, although the reports do not independently document a national-team squad decision.

The injury comes after Osimhen also missed Nigeria’s opening two qualifying matches against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau in September. He was initially named in the squad for those games but later...