Lille head coach Davide Ancelotti has warned his players against leaving Victor Osimhen’s threat to chance, insisting the Nigeria striker can only be contained by the whole team when Galatasaray visit on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League.

Osimhen faces his former club for the first time since leaving LOSC six years ago, in a third-matchday league-phase fixture.

“You stop him as a collective. It doesn’t depend on one player; it always depends on the collective,” Ancelotti said at the pre-match press conference, in comments reported by Fanatik. “He is a player who, at Napoli, almost won the Scudetto all by himself.”

The Italian stressed that Lille must stay alert defensively against the 2025 CAF Player of the Year, whose form this season gives the French side plenty to worry about.

“We know the potential he has, and we know that we must always be vigilant when attacking and defending,” Ancelotti said. “There are many talented players like Osimhen in the Champions League. We must always take precautions against them… We must show the same attention and care in transition play.”

Osimhen arrives  in France against his former club, in good form having scored six goals and provided three assists in as many Süper Lig matches this season.

Meanwhile, Ancelotti also rated Galatasaray as a side with “many individual qualities”, adding that its players have “a great deal of experience in this competition”.

The coach said his focus was on collecting points. “It’s time to earn points in the Champions League — if you earn points, you advance to the next round,” he said, adding that the aim was a competitive match against the Turkish champions.

He also urged players to stay focused and lean on the home support, citing the atmosphere for the recent defeat to Real Betis.

“The Betis match was the same, even though we lost,” he said. “Playing at home is an advantage; our fans will be there with us and will support us.”

Similarly, Lille’s Alexandro, who spoke at the same press conference, said he expects a physical contest with Osimhen.

“Yes, I’ll be playing against Osimhen. It’ll be a tough match for us. Tomorrow will be a bit of a battle between the two of us,” he said, according to Fanatik.

The player, back from injury, said he was pleased to be fit again. “I’m back on the field. It feels great. My injury last year was different. I wasn’t able to play in many matches.”

He also said the team must stay positive after the Betis defeat. “We know Galatasaray very well,” he said. “They’re a team that creates a lot of danger. If we play together, we can counter that threat.”