Victor Osimhen and Galatasaray have recovered strongly from a difficult start to the Champions League.
The Turkish champions opened their league-phase campaign with a 3-1 defeat away to Sporting CP before Barcelona won 4-1 in Istanbul. Two games, no points and seven goals conceded was hardly the start Galatasaray had in mind.
Their response has been much better.
A 4-2 win away at Lille brought the first three points, with Osimhen scoring against his former club and being named UEFA Player of the Match. Galatasaray then followed it with a 2-0 home victory over Stuttgart to move onto six points from four matches.
For Nigerian fans, Osimhen remains the obvious name to follow. The striker has one goal from three Champions League appearances this season and continues to lead the line for a Galatasaray side that has suddenly put itself back in a much healthier position.
There is plenty still to come too.
Aston Villa visit Istanbul on November 24 before Galatasaray travel to AEK Athens in December. The league phase then ends with games against Feyenoord and Paris Saint-Germain in January.
Six points from four matches currently keep Galatasaray inside the playoff places, but there is still plenty to play for. With Aston Villa, AEK and Feyenoord all still to come before the final trip to Paris, another productive stretch could put them in a much stronger position to extend their Champions League campaign into the spring.
Dexsport’s sportsbook also lists Champions League markets for upcoming league-phase fixtures.
Upcoming Champions League markets on Dexsport. Source: Dexsport
For Osimhen, it means several more high-profile European nights before the league phase reaches its conclusion.
Beyond Osimhen, More Nigerian Names Are Delivering
The Nigerian story in Europe does not stop with the Champions League.
Bamidele Yusuf has been involved in one of the best starts anywhere in the Europa League. Ferencváros have won all four of their league-phase matches, including Thursday’s 2-0 victory away to Milan at San Siro.
Yusuf has two goals and two assists in the competition. His night in Milan ended with a late red card, but that does little to change the wider picture: both the player and his club have made a very strong start.
The Conference League has Nigerian interest of its own.
Tolu Arokodare moved to three goals for the season after scoring twice in Ajax’s 6-1 away win over Midtjylland on November 5. The brace put him into a six-player tie at the top of the Conference League scoring chart.
It was another step forward for Ajax after an opening defeat in the competition. They have since beaten Atalanta and Midtjylland, with Arokodare scoring in both wins.
Cyriel Dessers is up there too. The Panathinaikos striker also has three goals in this season’s Conference League and has now moved level at the top of the competition’s all-time scoring list.
So while Osimhen remains Nigeria’s biggest name in this European season, he is far from the only one giving supporters a reason to watch.
One week might bring Galatasaray in the Champions League. Another might put Yusuf in the middle of a big Europa League night or Arokodare and Dessers into the Conference League spotlight.
Where Dexsport’s European Nights Fits In
Dexsport’s European Nights campaign brings qualifying bets from the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League into a shared leaderboard. It runs across nine stages, with up to $350,000 available in freebet prizes over the season.
Dexsport’s European Nights campaign covers the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League across nine stages. Source: Dexsport
Players only need to activate the campaign once for the season, but it has to be done before placing qualifying bets. Bets placed before activation do not count retroactively, while the leaderboard resets at the start of every new stage.
The qualifying rules are relatively simple. Bets need a minimum stake of $10 and minimum odds of 1.3. Singles can qualify, as can accumulators provided every selection is on an eligible European Nights match and meets the minimum odds requirement.
Both winning and losing fully settled real-money bets count towards qualifying volume. Cash-outs, refunded wagers, void bets and cancelled bets do not.
The top 50 players in each stage receive freebet prizes, with the prize pools becoming larger later in the European season.
For someone following Nigerian players, the format has an obvious connection to what is already happening on the pitch. A Galatasaray Champions League bet involving Osimhen, a Ferencváros fixture in the Europa League and an Ajax or Panathinaikos game in the Conference League can all count towards the same European Nights leaderboard.
For Nigerian fans, there is no shortage of familiar names to follow as all three competitions move deeper into the season.
