Burak injury: Galatasaray, Turkey options

The news that Burak Yılmaz will be out for a month with a hamstring injury has come as a blow to Galatasaray and Turkey just when neither team could afford to lose such a prolific striker.

Burak suffered the injury against Trabzonspor last weekend and the 30-year-old forward travelled to Germany with club doctor Yener İnce with the hope of speeding up the recovery period.

However, he is expected to miss Wednesday's UEFA Champions League trip to Astana and the 21 October visit of Benfica, as well as Turkey's decisive UEFA EURO 2016 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Iceland as they look to hold off the Netherlands for third place. So who will club coach Hamza Hamzaoğlu and Turkey's Fatih Terim turn to?

A new role for Lukas Podolski?©Getty Images

Galatasaray options
So what can Galatasaray do in the absence of the player whose goals were so crucial in taking them to the 2012/13 quarter-finals? It does not help that new signing Lukas Podolski and Umut Bulut are both finding their form and 21-year-old Sinan Gümüş – who replaced the German 71 minutes into the 2-0 home loss against Atlético Madrid – lacks experience.

This situation may force Hamzaoğlu to try a radical tactic of not employing a central forward and instead use a 'false nine' with midfielders Wesley Sneijder, Lukas Podolski and Yasin Öztekin pushing forward down the middle and on the flanks. Podolski was tested in a striker-like role in the 2-2 season-opening draw with Sivasspor and eventually scored, but is not in ideal shape.

Sinan caught the eye with his impressive play after coming on against Trabzonspor but he is untested at UEFA Champions League level. Arguably, 32-year-old striker Umut Bulut seems like the only direct replacement for Burak but has not scored this season.

Will Cenk Tosun return for Turkey?©Getty Images

Turkey tactics
Burak scored the third in Turkey’s 3-0 defeat of the Netherlands earlier this month to take his international tally to 19, within four of moving into second place in his nation’s all-time list behind Hakan Şükür. Four points from their games in Prague and at home to Iceland would ensure a top-three Group A finish, but now Terim has to replace his key forward.

Neither Umut Bulut nor Hannover 96 striker Mevlüt Erdinç have got off the mark in the league this season, leaving the door open for Beşiktaş’s Cenk Tosun, 24, who has four goals and two assists in five club games this season. He was a surprise absentee from this month's squad but Terim could well now look to a man whose sole senior cap was in October 2013.

©Getty Images