Liverpool Faces Cody Gakpo Injury Concern Ahead of Fulham Match

Liverpool’s Champions League campaign began with a win – and an immediate worry.

Cody Gakpo, the livewire at the heart of their early-season surge, never even made it to the bench for the league-phase opener against Atletico. He had skipped Tuesday’s key training session, and when the teamsheets dropped, his name was nowhere to be seen.

Liverpool still found a way, grinding out a 2–1 victory. But the missing Dutchman hovered over the night.

Niggles, not a nightmare – but a race against time

After the game, head coach Iraola explained why his in-form forward had vanished from the squad. Gakpo, he revealed, had picked up niggles in both adductors during his previous 90-minute outing.

Crucially, the staff do not view it as a serious, long-term problem. No “proper injury,” as Iraola put it. Yet the discomfort was strong enough to rule him out completely from such a high-stakes European tie.

Liverpool could breathe a little easier on that front. The bigger issue now is the clock.

With barely two and a half days before Fulham arrive at the same ground, the manager faces a brutal turnaround and a major selection puzzle.

“I don’t know [if he will be back for Fulham]. I hope so, but I don’t know,” Iraola admitted on the club’s official channels. “He doesn’t have a proper injury, but he finished with niggles in both of the adductors the other day. We expected to have him for today, [but] it hasn’t been possible. It’s not a big thing, but the problem is we play here [again] in two days and a half.”

Blistering start, untimely pause

The timing could hardly be worse for a player who has exploded into the new season.

Under his new manager, Gakpo has looked transformed: one goal, three assists in his first three matches, and far more than the numbers suggest. He has been the connector, the runner, the creative spark.

His latest outing underlined that influence. On Friday night he went the distance, playing all 90 minutes and tormenting Ipswich Town. He teed up Alexander Isak twice in a commanding 2–0 win, driving Liverpool forward and setting the tone in attack.

That performance now sits as a sharp contrast: a full-throttle display followed by a sudden halt.

Recovery, regroup, and a crucial Fulham test

Iraola knows the physical cost of this schedule is mounting. Gakpo is not the only concern.

“I think now is a moment of recovery in these two days,” he said. “Let’s see how Bradley has finished, how Cody is [and] if he can give us some minutes. If not, Rio, Victor, I think today everyone has done a big effort.”

The message is clear: reset quickly or get left behind.

“We need to recover, we need to regroup and think because in two days and a half we play again here [against] Fulham, it’s a very important game again for us. So, I hope we can have Cody with us, but I cannot guarantee it.”

Liverpool have their win over Atletico. They have momentum. What they don’t yet know is whether the player driving so much of it will be ready when Fulham walk back through the same tunnel.