Cody Gakpo Doubtful as Liverpool Face Fulham with Arbeloa's Return
Andoni Iraola is braced for another anxious wait over Cody Gakpo as Liverpool prepare to welcome Alvaro Arbeloa back to Anfield with his Fulham side still hunting their first Premier League point under the Spaniard.
Gakpo a doubt, Barcola cleared
Gakpo missed Wednesday night’s win over Atletico Madrid with what Iraola described as “adductor issues”, and his involvement against Fulham is far from guaranteed.
“[With] Cody, we will see,” Iraola said at his pre-match press conference. “He didn’t train yesterday. Today, we will try with him and let’s see if he’s ready for tomorrow or we need to wait for the next one.”
The news is brighter on Bradley Barcola. The winger, forced off in the second half of his full debut in midweek, is expected to be available after his withdrawal was put down to fatigue rather than damage.
“We still need to train [on Friday],” Iraola explained. “But, yes, Barcola was just cramps. Obviously he finished tight in the game and then we have to evaluate how things are today – but there’s no injury. He should be available if everything goes normal.”
Joe Gomez is edging closer to a return from the muscle issue that has sidelined him since pre-season, while Federico Chiesa continues to work his way back from his own injury problems.
Long-term absentees Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni remain out.
Ekitike’s long road back
Ekitike, recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, is the furthest away, though Liverpool have not completely ruled out a contribution in Europe later in the campaign.
“I think it’s difficult with these long-term injuries, I think he’s still far [away],” Iraola admitted.
“But we had a meeting with the medical department to analyse when we completed the [squad] list for the European games. There is a reasonable chance that he could help us in the last two games of the group stages.
“But it’s still very early to say. It’s very early because it’s a long-term injury [and] a big part of the rehab [he] is still to meet. But if we decide to put him there, it is because there is a hope and there is a realistic chance that he could help us in January.”
Liverpool head into the weekend on the back of a 2-1 victory over Atletico on September 9, when Alisson, Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Barcola, Wirtz, Ngumoha and Isak all started.
Arbeloa’s Anfield return
For Arbeloa, this trip is personal. The Fulham head coach, who played 98 times for Liverpool between 2007 and 2009, returns to Anfield as a manager for the first time and does so under pressure after two Premier League defeats.
His selection problems are minimal. Tom Cairney is set to be Fulham’s only absentee with a knee injury.
“We have to wait until the last training session,” Arbeloa said. “But just Tom [is currently out injured] and we will see after the training session if everyone is ready.”
Fulham arrive on Merseyside after a 3-2 home defeat to Crystal Palace on September 5, when Leno, Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson, Charles, Iwobi, Bobb, King, Palacios and Garcia started.
For Arbeloa, though, the narrative is about more than line-ups.
“It will be so special,” he said of his return. “I went back when I was a Real Madrid player but now it’s my first time as a coach. Anfield will always be a special place for me.
“We have a massive game for us and we have been working really hard this week. We know that we have to improve and we need to adjust some parts of our game.”
Anfield will welcome back an old favourite. Iraola will wait on his main attacker. Between nostalgia and necessity, only one of them can walk away with what they need from this early-season test.
