Iraola Updates on Barcola and Gakpo Ahead of Fulham Match
Liverpool head into Saturday’s meeting with Fulham buoyed by a Champions League comeback and an unbeaten league start, and Andoni Iraola arrived at his pre-match briefing with one major concern eased and another still nagging away.
The winless Cottagers arrive at Anfield for a 3pm kickoff, but the main focus on Merseyside was whether Liverpool’s forward line would be patched up or close to full strength.
Barcola scare eased
Bradley Barcola had sparked alarm in midweek when he trudged off on the hour in the 2-1 turnaround against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, the £123 million signing looking uncomfortable as he made his way to the bench.
Any fears of a serious setback have been swiftly cooled.
“We still need to train this afternoon, but Barcola was just cramps, he finished the game tired so we have to evaluate but there's no injury. He should be available if everything goes normal,” Iraola confirmed on Friday.
Cramp, not muscle damage. Fatigue, not a lay-off. For a player already carrying the weight of a huge fee and early expectation, that matters. Liverpool expect him to be ready to go again this weekend, provided he comes through the final session without reaction.
Gakpo remains a doubt
The news on Cody Gakpo is less straightforward.
The Netherlands international missed the Atletico win completely after suffering an adductor issue against Ipswich Town last week. His start to the Premier League campaign has been sharp – a goal and three assists in Liverpool’s first three league fixtures – and his creativity has quickly become a key part of Iraola’s attacking blueprint.
Right now, though, he is racing the clock.
“Cody we will see. He did not train yesterday [Thursday], so today we will try with him and let's see if he's ready for tomorrow [Saturday] or we need to wait until the next one,” Iraola said.
That leaves Liverpool hovering between optimism and caution. Risk him and gain another weapon against Fulham’s deep block, or hold him back with a long season and European commitments stretching ahead? The final training session will decide it.
Ekitike’s long road back
Behind the immediate selection puzzles sits a longer, more delicate story: Hugo Ekitike’s recovery.
The striker ruptured his Achilles in April, a brutal injury that has wiped out months of his career and forced Liverpool’s medical staff into meticulous planning. Iraola made it clear there will be no shortcuts.
“Hugo, it's difficult with these long-term injuries,” he admitted. “He's still far. But we had a meeting with all the department to analyse and complete the list of European games and there's a small chance he could play in the last two games of the group stages, but it's too early to say. It's a big injury.
“But if we decided to put him there, it is because there's a hope and a realistic chance he could help us in January.”
Liverpool have effectively ring-fenced January as the realistic target, with the faint possibility of a late group-stage cameo in Europe if his rehab continues to track upwards.
For now, Iraola walks into another Premier League weekend knowing Barcola should be ready, Gakpo hangs in the balance, and Ekitike watches on, plotting a return that could reshape Liverpool’s forward options just as the season’s demands begin to bite deepest.
