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Galatasaray’s head coach, Okan Buruk, has hinted at the possibility of fielding both Mauro Icardi and Victor Osimhen in the starting lineup for their upcoming UEFA Champions League round of 16 playoff first leg against Juventus on Wednesday.
This speculation comes on the heels of Galatasaray’s impressive 5-1 victory in the league against Eyupspor, a match in which Icardi netted a hat-trick and Osimhen contributed with two assists, one of which set up Icardi for a goal.
Two-striker system revisited
The potential pairing of Icardi and Osimhen has sparked discussions in Turkey, with some questioning whether the two can effectively share the field as part of the same starting lineup.
Despite the debate, Buruk has already tried out this striking duo, having utilized them together in a recent fixture against Kocaelispor.
Commenting on the recent performance, Buruk expressed his satisfaction with how well the two players collaborated on the pitch.
“Icardi’s three goals, Osimhen’s two assists… there are many positive things. We played with two strikers,” Buruk said.
“We used it in the Kocaelispor match, and people thought Osimhen and Icardi couldn’t play together. We tried it and got positive results,” he added.
The comments suggest the two forwards could again feature together as Galatasaray seek an advantage in the first leg.
Focus turns to Juventus
Buruk acknowledged the scale of the challenge awaiting his side in Europe.
“We will prepare for Juventus. A very different match and a very strong opponent awaits us. We will recover mentally immediately and get ready,” he said.
Galatasaray have relied heavily on their attacking output this season, and the potential pairing of Icardi and Osimhen would represent an attacking statement against the Italian side.