Andoni Iraola's Champions League Debut as Liverpool Head Coach
Andoni Iraola steps into the Champions League spotlight for the first time as Liverpool head coach tonight, and he does it under the Anfield lights against a familiar European antagonist: Atletico Madrid.
The stage is big. The opponent is awkward. The team news is significant.
Gakpo ruled out as minor injury confirmed
Cody Gakpo had been the main question mark all week. He missed team training on Tuesday, with Liverpool initially stressing his absence was precautionary. By the time the squad was confirmed, the picture had changed.
He is not involved at all.
Iraola revealed the Netherlands forward has a minor adductor problem picked up in last Friday’s win at Ipswich Town, an issue that surfaced late in that game.
Speaking to TNT Sports before kick-off, Iraola explained: “Cody finished the game the other day against Ipswich with some adductor issues. Both sides. Nothing specific. [It is] not a proper injury. But we didn’t want to risk him, and I think it makes sense he can rest and hope we can recover him. If it’s not for the weekend, it’s for the next one. But I think even for the weekend he has a chance.”
Liverpool will hope that proves accurate. Gakpo has started the season sharply, with one goal and three assists in the Premier League, including both assists in the 2-0 win at Ipswich. He was heavily linked with a move to Manchester City in the summer, but has instead become a central figure in Iraola’s early plans. Tonight, though, he watches on.
Barcola handed first Liverpool start
With Gakpo missing, there is a fresh European storyline: Bradley Barcola makes his first Liverpool start.
The France forward is thrown straight into a Champions League night at Anfield, starting the Reds’ league-phase opener as one of two changes from the side that beat Ipswich Town on Friday.
Rio Ngumoha is the other player drafted into the XI, with Victor Munoz dropping to the bench. It is a bold, attacking call from Iraola for his first game in this competition as Liverpool boss, against a team renowned for suffocating big occasions.
Liverpool’s recent record against Atletico offers encouragement. After struggling badly in the early years of this rivalry – just one win in six meetings from 2008 – they have since turned the tide, winning the last three clashes with Diego Simeone’s side. Anfield has seen this script before, and the home crowd will expect the same aggressive, front-foot approach.
Long-term absentees and squad omissions
The rest of Liverpool’s fitness picture is a reminder of the physical toll of last season.
Hugo Ekitike remains a long-term absentee as he continues his recovery from the serious Achilles injury he suffered in April. Conor Bradley is still sidelined with the knee injury sustained in January, while Giovanni Leoni is yet to return from a knee problem dating back to last September.
Joe Gomez is edging closer. The defender picked up a hamstring injury in the opening minutes of Liverpool’s first pre-season game and has been missing since. He returned to full training on Tuesday but has not been named in the squad to face Atletico, with Liverpool opting not to rush him back into the intensity of a Champions League night.
Federico Chiesa has yet to feature this season and was left out of Liverpool’s Champions League squad altogether, with Wataru Endo also unavailable for the same registration reason. On a night when Iraola leans on fresh faces like Barcola and Ngumoha, two senior internationals can only watch this phase of the campaign from the outside.
Anfield has seen eras begin and end in this competition. Tonight, against Simeone’s hardened Atletico, Iraola’s European story with Liverpool truly starts. How quickly it catches fire may shape the rest of their season.
