Ipswich vs Liverpool: Iraola’s Reds Seek First Win as Barcola Awaits
Portman Road feels ready for a night. Newly promoted Ipswich, already buzzing from their Premier League return, welcome a Liverpool side still searching for their first victory under Andoni Iraola.
Two games, two draws. That’s Liverpool’s story so far: 2-2 at Newcastle, 2-2 at home to Nottingham Forest. Unbeaten, yes. Convincing, not yet. Iraola’s high-energy blueprint has only flickered in moments, and he arrives in Suffolk needing more than just flashes.
Ipswich, by contrast, have hit the division running. The Tractor Boys edged Sunderland 2-1 on the opening weekend, a statement win on their top-flight comeback, and then went to Old Trafford and had the audacity to take the lead against Manchester United. They were eventually overrun 5-2, but their front line left a mark. Julio Enciso and Abdul Fatawu have injected pace and chaos, the kind of threat that turns Portman Road into a problem for visiting defences.
Tonight, that defence is Liverpool’s.
Barcola arrives, but from the bench
All eyes, though, drift towards one name: Bradley Barcola. The £123m signing from Paris Saint-Germain is the headline act of Liverpool’s summer, the “statement acquisition” that dragged on through the window before finally landing on Merseyside on the penultimate day.
He hasn’t kicked a ball in pre-season. Not a minute since the World Cup. Yet Iraola has seen enough in three training sessions to bring him straight into the squad.
“It’s a good question,” Iraola said when asked if Barcola might start. “I see him in a good place. He has trained with us in three trainings. It’s true that he hasn’t had minutes in pre-season but he has been training normal with the group. Then it’s a decision we have to make. I think he’s in a good place but we also have to consider that he hasn’t had the minutes in the pre-season games.”
The decision is made. Barcola is on the bench, waiting for his first Premier League taste under the Friday night lights.
The XIs: Iraola leans on his core, Ipswich stick to their edge
Liverpool go strong, with a side built to dominate the ball and punish on the break:
Liverpool XI: Alisson; Jacquet, Araujo, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Munoz, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak.
Virgil van Dijk anchors a back line that includes new faces in Jacquet and Kerkez, while Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai run the midfield. Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak give Liverpool a fluid, dangerous front line. It’s a team that screams control and creativity, but it still needs that first league win to settle the noise around Iraola’s start.
Ipswich answer with their own bold selection:
Ipswich XI: Scherpen; O’Shea, Diop, Greaves, Davis; Palacios, Lukic; Fatawu, Encisco, Maeda; Emersonn.
Abdul Fatawu and Julio Enciso again flank the attack, with Daizen Maeda offering relentless running behind Emersonn. It’s a side built to spring forward quickly, to test any hesitation in Liverpool’s evolving structure.
Injury list shapes both benches
Liverpool’s options are thinned in key areas. Hugo Ekitike remains out with an Achilles problem, while defenders Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley miss out through knee injuries. Joe Gomez is sidelined with a muscle issue and Federico Chiesa is nursing a minor back complaint.
Those absences strip away some of Iraola’s flexibility, especially at the back. Barcola, then, becomes even more intriguing as a potential game-changer later in the night.
Ipswich have their own concerns. Winger Jaden Philogene-Bidace is ruled out with an ankle injury. Azor Matusiwa is unavailable due to a muscle problem, Jack Taylor has a knee issue, and Florentino Luis is a doubt. Emersonn, named in the XI, had been considered a doubt with a knee problem but starts, underlining his importance to Gary O’Neil’s attacking plan.
Early-season stakes under the lights
The table adds a twist. Ipswich sit one place above Liverpool, three points from two games, Liverpool on two from two. It’s early, but perception forms quickly in this league.
For Ipswich, another result here would reinforce the idea that Portman Road is no soft landing for anyone, not even one of the division’s heavyweights. For Liverpool, anything less than three points would extend a stuttering start and raise more questions about how quickly Iraola’s ideas are bedding in.
Kick-off is at 8pm, the first match of the Premier League weekend. Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League carry the broadcast in the UK, with coverage starting at 7pm on the Premier League channel.
A promoted side punching up. A new-look Liverpool chasing their first win. A £123m winger waiting to explode off the bench.
How long can Iraola afford to wait before Barcola becomes more than just a name on the teamsheet?
