04.11.2025 22:22
Ajax's head coach John Heitinga made statements regarding the match against Galatasaray. Heitinga, who described Osimhen as a good striker, 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."
In the fourth week of the UEFA Champions League, Ajax's head coach John Heitinga, who will host Galatasaray tomorrow, stated that the yellow-red team is a very strong squad.
''IT'S GOOD THAT WE WILL PLAY AT HOME''
Heitinga, who expressed their desire to change the negative trend, said, "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 stated.
''GALATASARAY HAS VERY FAST PLAYERS''
Heitinga, stating that they have analyzed Galatasaray, said, "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 evaluated.
Addressing the absences in the team, the 41-year-old coach said, "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." he said.
''WE NEED TO SHOW THAT WE CAN WIN''
Referring to the UEFA Europa League match where Galatasaray lost 2-1 to Ajax last season, Heitinga said, "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. We are watching many matches. Sometimes things may not go well. 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." he commented.
Heitinga, stating that Galatasaray has very fast players, 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." he said.
''I CAN COMPARE OSIMHEN TO DROGBA AND IBRAHIMOVIC''
Referring to Galatasaray's Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, 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. There are other fast players as well, but his speed is very different." he expressed his opinion.
Comparing the performances of both teams so far, 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." he said.