Iraola hopeful but uncertain as Isak, Szoboszlai and Gakpo linger

Andoni Iraola gave an encouraging but non‑committal update on the fitness of Alexander Isak, Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo after they missed Liverpool's 3‑0 loss to Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.

Injury picture after the City defeat

All three forwards – the Swedish striker, the Hungarian midfielder and the Dutchman – were unavailable for the match, while French forward Hugo Ekitike also remains sidelined with a long‑term problem not expected to be resolved until December.

Iraola said, "They are not bad but it's difficult to tell right now. We are taking it day to day. Really the three of them, I don't know if it's going to be Brentford or Villarreal." He could not guarantee when the trio would return.

Upcoming fixtures and squad strain

The Reds travel to LASK in the Champions League on Wednesday night without any of the three injured players, and the next Premier League game at Brentford on Saturday is also in doubt for them.

Liverpool boss Iraola braces for LASK trip without three stars

If the trio are still unavailable, Liverpool will host Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday, 20 October.

Left‑back Milos Kerkez, who also spoke on Tuesday, echoed the optimism, noting that Szoboszlai "doesn't like to be out long" and is likely to want to play on Saturday.

Iraola added that the lack of his top scorers – "Cody, Alex and Dom" – was felt against City and that the team will need them to restore goal output.

With the attacking trio missing, the burden now falls on Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola, who have struggled to make an impact since their summer arrivals.