‘To be honest…’ – Victor Osimhen makes candid admission about potential Liverpool rematch
Victor Osimhen has given his ‘honest’ thoughts on the possibility of coming up against Liverpool in the Champions League round of 16.
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The Nigerian striker – who’s often been linked with a move to Anfield in the past – scored on Wednesday night as Galatasaray saw a three-goal aggregate lead wiped out by Juventus before ultimately prevailing against 10 players in extra time, and they’ll now face English opposition in the form of either the Reds or Tottenham Hotspur.
The Turkish side have already beaten Arne Slot’s team in the competition earlier this season, with the 27-year-old scoring the only goal of that game from a controversial penalty, and there’s a 50% chance of a two-leg rematch next month.
Osimhen makes ‘honest’ Liverpool admission
Speaking to CBS Sports Golazo after his team’s rollercoaster triumph over Juventus last night, Osimhen admitted that he’d prefer to avoid Liverpool in the round of 16, but insisted that Galatasaray wouldn’t be daunted by the challenge if tasked with it.
The striker told Jamie Carragher: “To be honest with you, meeting Liverpool now is going to be like some sort of revenge… I wouldn’t say much but I would like to escape Liverpool. If they come, yeah we’re going to dig it out, but it’s not going to be easy.
“This is the Champions League; no team is easy. We can see how Bodo/Glimt are really flying in this tournament. If you want to win, you also have to play the big dogs and make a statement for yourself.
“We’ve met Liverpool but we haven’t played at Anfield. If we meet them it’s going to be an amazing game. I think we’re up to the task. It’s not going to be easy, of course, but we have fight in us.”
Osimhen wary of potential Liverpool revenge mission
Although Osimhen has won twice in three previous meetings against Liverpool (the other was Napoli’s 4-1 romp against us in 2022), his comments show that he has huge respect for the Reds despite our difficult season to date.
Even if Galatasaray are drawn against us and reprise their 1-0 win at Rams Park from five months ago in the first leg, Slot’s team would have the opportunity to avenge that result a week later and ensure that they advance to the quarter-finals.
If it is to be the Turkish side we face in the round of 16, the LFC head coach will surely have taken note of a mental frailty which saw Okan Buruk’s team relinquish their three-goal lead from the home fixture against Juventus before scrambling over the line in extra time last night.
That’d give Liverpool genuine hope of retrieving a first-leg deficit if they were to lose in Istanbul again, although ideally the Reds won’t be in a win-or-bust situation when they take to the Anfield turf on 17/18 March.
Slot has come up against both Galatasaray and Atletico in the Champions League this season, and both teams have tormented us in recent times, so neither opponent will be particularly pleasant to come up against next month.
However, LFC often rise to the challenge on a big European night, and while they’ll respect whichever opponent they face next, they’ve no reason to fear either of them.
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