Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has been ruled out of Nigeria’s November international window after Galatasaray confirmed that he will undergo surgery on a left knee injury.

The Turkish champions announced on Friday that Osimhen suffered a sprain in his left knee during the Champions League match against VfB Stuttgart and will go under the knife on Saturday. The 27-year-old will therefore miss Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The setback is a heavy blow to the Super Eagles, who open their November double-header against Tanzania on Friday, November 13.

It is also not the first time the striker’s fitness has troubled Nigeria this qualifying campaign, as he was also injured during the first phase of the qualifiers, when the team won 2- 1 against Madagascar and lost 3-0 to Guinea-Bissau in a shock result.

Osimhen’s latest absence comes after Nigeria had already lost winger Samuel Chukwueze for the same fixtures. AC Milan confirmed on Wednesday that Chukwueze had undergone successful surgery in London to repair a ruptured tensor fasciae latae tendon in his left hip. The injury also leaves Galatasaray without their leading marksman for Saturday’s Süper Lig clash with Amedspor at Rams Park in Istanbul. Osimhen had been tied with his compatriot Gift Orban at the top of the scoring charts, with both players on nine league goals.

Osimhen has scored nine goals and provided three assists in eight league appearances this season. He has needed only 555 minutes to reach that tally, a goal every 62 minutes, a better rate than any other leading scorer in the division. He scored both goals in the 2-1 win over Fenerbahce in the Istanbul derby on October 26 and found the net again in the 4-0 win away to Konyaspor last Friday.

The match against Amedspor brings together the top two teams in the table. Galatasaray lead with 25 points from 10 matches, while Amedspor are second on 23. An Amedspor win would take them to 26 points, while a Galatasaray victory would stretch the lead to five points.

Galatasaray have won their last five matches in all competitions, including a 2-0 home win over Stuttgart on Tuesday. They will also be without captain Abdulkerim Bardakci, who is suspended after a red card against Fenerbahce.

Orban, 24, now has the chance to move clear at the top of the scoring chart. He is on loan from Hoffenheim and has nine goals and four assists in 10 league appearances.