Ajax head coach, John Heitinga, has praised Galatasaray’s Nigerian striker, Victor Osimhen, describing him as one of the best forwards in Europe and the key player Ajax must watch closely when both sides meet in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

Speaking ahead of the Group Stage clash in Amsterdam, Heitinga said, “I can compare Osimhen to Didier Drogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“He is both very strong and fast. His physique is also very good. We need to pay attention to him. In my opinion, Osimhen is currently Galatasaray’s best player.”

According to Harbeler on Tuesday, Heitinga expressed optimism that Ajax could turn around their recent poor form and climb higher in the standings.

“We want to see ourselves higher in the standings. I believe we will play well against Galatasaray. I hope we can score. I will feel good when we earn points.

“It’s good that we will play at home. Our fans will motivate us. Considering their previous matches, Galatasaray may look better than us. Still, I believe we have a chance,” he said.

The Ajax boss noted that his team had studied their opponents carefully.

“I have watched many of Galatasaray’s matches. Galatasaray defeated Liverpool at home. There is a difference between playing away and playing at home. Still, I can say that Galatasaray is a very strong team.

“Galatasaray has very fast players. We must not give this team too much space. We must not lose the ball. Galatasaray generally plays better in the first half. Tomorrow will be a very good fight,” he explained.

Heitinga also discussed his side’s squad situation ahead of the match, revealing that, “Kasper Dolberg returned earlier than we expected. Steven Berghuis has not returned yet. He needs a bit more time. Branco van den Boomen has also been injured for a long time. He needs to train more to return.”

Looking back on their past meetings, Heitinga referenced the UEFA Europa League match last season in which Ajax defeated Galatasaray 2–1. “We will play against a very good team.

“We have made changes since then. The team may not be in complete harmony. Still, we need to show that we can win tomorrow’s match. We have prepared very well for tomorrow. If we are going to earn points, we need to do it tomorrow,” he said.

Heitinga added that consistency would be key to Ajax’s performance: “We constantly face difficulties at the beginning of the matches we play. Unfortunately, we are currently at the bottom of the standings. We want our fans to support us. We want to earn our first points.”

Emphasizing the tactical discipline needed, he said, “If we have more possession of the ball, we can stop the opponent’s fast players. I have watched Galatasaray.

“Unfortunately, they will challenge us a bit. If we want to win tomorrow, we need to play in harmony. We need to play very well in the first half. We need to achieve a certain harmony. We must not concede a goal in the first half.”

Comparing both teams’ progress in the competition, Heitinga said, “If you look at the table, you see a team at the very bottom. We need to look at who Galatasaray has played against. We also need to look at who we have played against. Tomorrow, we want to get out of our current situation. We want to earn our first points tomorrow.”

Ajax host Galatasaray at the Johan Cruyff Arena in their fourth Champions League group match, as they seek their first points of the campaign.