Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola don confam say Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo no go play Sunday game against Manchester City for Anfield. Di two attackers go miss di match becos of injuries wey force dem comot from dia national teams during di recent international break.
Iraola tok for im pre-match press conference on Friday say: ‘Alex Isak and Cody Gakpo will not play the game. They are not ready.’
Di Liverpool boss explain say di club no get luck with di two players. He say: ‘Unfortunately for us, both got injuries during the international break. As a club manager, you are always waiting until the games end, that the doctor doesn’t call you and then gives you bad news.’
He continue: ‘But in this case we’ve been unlucky with Alex and Cody – both of them are injured and they are not going to be involved on Sunday.’
On Gakpo own, Iraola say na ankle injury. He say di player don get similar injury before for im career and di main thing na to deal with pain. He call am ‘a really bad tackle’ and add say Gakpo dey do things individually but e no ready for Sunday.
For Isak, di issue na thigh injury. Iraola describe am as small injury but na muscle injury. He talk say just like Gakpo, Isak go play when e feel ready. Di two injuries no look long term, and dem go dey analyse day to day, but dem no go arrive on Sunday.
However, Jeremy Jacquet dey set to be available for di encounter with di current league leaders. Di 21-year-old France defender make im first two appearances for France senior side during di break but then sit out dia UEFA Nations League tie with Belgium at di beginning of dis week.
Iraola tok about Jacquet: ‘Yeah, he’s fit, he’s ready to go. I think he didn’t play with the national team [in the] last game because of protection. But he should be fine. We still need to train tomorrow but he’s fine, yes.’
Federico Chiesa, meanwhile, don return to training after di injury e sustain for pre-season. Iraola say: ‘We will maybe recover Fede Chiesa but he hasn’t played any minutes. He’s recovering from an injury but he has been doing a good job in the international break and has been training with the small group we had.’
Di injuries mean Liverpool go need change for dia forward line. Isak thigh injury leave big hole for di No 9 role after im impressive start to di campaign wey see am score four times for Premier League already. Lewis Koumas, 21, fit deputise for Isak, with Hugo Ekitike still months away from recovering from im ruptured Achilles.
Liverpool dey face tricky run of seven games for three different competitions over di next three weeks. Di fixture list include trip to in-form Brentford, followed by home games with high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion and champions Arsenal for di league, either side of Chelsea visiting Anfield for di League Cup.
Iraola talk say: ‘We still have to get ready because the schedule that we have now, it’s very difficult. We are playing against top-four teams and then in between Champions League and then in between Chelsea in the Carabao Cup and everything in two, three days. So we have to get ready because this next month, after this break, it’s going be very demanding for us.’
Di elephant for Liverpool room remain £116m signing Florian Wirtz, especially after im latest anonymous display at Bournemouth before di international break. Jamie Carragher tok for im podcast say: ‘That was one of the poorest I’ve ever seen him in a Liverpool shirt.’ Carragher add say Wirtz wouldn’t be in im Liverpool team for Manchester City at home.
With injuries to Gakpo and Isak, Iraola go need im two other £100m attackers, Wirtz and Bradley Barcola, to shine to get result against City. Sky Sports News reporter Mark McAdam tok say Liverpool beat Bayern Munich and Man City to sign Wirtz, and he no become bad No 10 overnight. McAdam say e dey convinced Iraola go find best in Wirtz.
Iraola dey favour two-man midfield to screen back four and break opposition attacks while starting counters. Ryan Gravenberch, wey be key figure under previous head coach Arne Slot, na im dey miss out, as di boss favour partnership of Alexis Mac Allister, revitalised after slump last season, and Dominik Szoboszlai as im twin No 6s.
After conceding twice for each of dia opening two Premier League games at Newcastle United and home to Nottingham Forest, Liverpool don keep three straight clean sheets for di first time since di start of dia 2024/25 title-winning campaign. SSN reporter Vinny O’Connor tok say Iraola still dey try strive for ideal balance for Liverpool midfield, but di three clean sheets show team dey defend di box better and get ball forward quicker.
One clear indicator say Liverpool players dey buy into new manager way of playing na say dem top Premier League for most sprints with 636 after opening five games. But dem also bottom for distance covered with 551.36km, though dat one often just reflection of how much possession a team enjoy.
Iraola head into Sunday game having made unbeaten start to life as Liverpool head coach. Di 44-year-old become first manager not to lose any of im first five league games in charge of Liverpool since Joe Fagan all the way back in September 1983.
But one anomaly Iraola go desperate to correct against City this weekend na di lack of home league win so far under im tenure. In fact, you have to go all di way back to April 26 against Crystal Palace, five games ago, for dia last victory at Anfield. Di new man don mastermind impressive home wins against Atletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur for Champions League and League Cup respectively so far dis campaign, but recording statement Premier League win go transform things for am.
Watch Liverpool vs Man City live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event on Sunday from 4pm; kick-off 4.30pm.
