Liverpool Injury Update Ahead of Newcastle Clash

Andoni Iraola will walk out at Anfield as Liverpool’s head coach in a competitive game for the first time on Sunday – and he’ll do it with a squad already stretched by injury.

Liverpool open their Premier League campaign against Newcastle United short of several important players, a theme that has shaped much of their summer. The club have kept transfer activity relatively low, which has left Iraola leaning heavily on a familiar core through pre-season.

One of those is Alexander Isak. Back from a strong World Cup with Sweden, the 26-year-old has led the line in Liverpool’s last three friendlies and looked sharp. His fitness, though, remains under close watch after the problems that dogged his first season at Anfield.

With Hugo Ekitike ruled out for the long term with an Achilles rupture, Isak is set to carry the attacking burden for the opening months of the campaign at least. Iraola made it clear on Friday that while he trusts the striker to deliver goals, he is pushing him hard on his work without the ball, demanding a complete performance from his No.9.

The concerns are not limited to the front line. Conor Bradley has missed almost all of 2026 with a serious knee injury, and Joe Gomez has now joined the list after a setback in pre-season. Both issues strip depth from Liverpool’s defensive options just as the season begins.

Injury Overview

Here is how Liverpool’s injury picture stands heading into the Newcastle clash.

Joe Gomez

Gomez’s blow came early. He lasted just 10 minutes of a pre-season friendly against Sunderland last month before being forced off with a muscle problem.

Iraola did not disguise the frustration but offered a realistic timeline.

“Joe will be some weeks off. It’s a muscle injury... it is difficult to say [how long], but normally, I always put myself as one month. It’s not massive, it’s a normal muscle injury, [but] I think it’s going to be impossible to have him for the start of the season because we are not so far [away]. It shouldn’t be a lot more.”

Liverpool expect Gomez to be back in the early weeks of the campaign, with the away trip to Ipswich Town on Friday, September 4, pencilled in as a potential return date.

Alexander Isak

Isak is the bright spot in an otherwise grim medical bulletin. He has started Liverpool’s last three friendlies, trained consistently and shown no obvious sign of physical trouble.

Iraola sounded confident when asked about the Swede’s condition and importance.

“I think the same as others, an important player for us, in a very good place. Training every day, adding minutes, played a good World Cup with Sweden, fitness levels.

“I want to keep him there as much as we can. We know his level, he will score the goals. He will give us a lot of things. My fight with him, the instructions, is off the ball. He wants to score but I try not to judge the strikers if they have or haven’t scored.”

With Liverpool playing roughly once a week in the opening stretch, the schedule should help Isak manage his load. For now, he is fit and central to Iraola’s plans.

Hugo Ekitike

Ekitike’s situation is far more severe. The forward ruptured his Achilles in April and has been ruled out for months, stripping Liverpool of another attacking option and narrowing Iraola’s choices in the final third.

The coach’s July update underlined just how long the road back remains.

“In terms of order, I think the closest one to returning is Leoni. After will be Conor and Hugo, but especially the last two are still way off. We are talking about months and still a lot of time out.”

Liverpool are working on the basis that Ekitike will not be available until November or December. Until then, the responsibility up front falls even more heavily on Isak and the remaining forwards.

Conor Bradley

Bradley’s injury predates Ekitike’s but the timelines are similar. The right-back suffered a major knee problem that has wiped out most of his year and robbed Liverpool of an energetic, versatile option on the flank.

Iraola grouped Bradley and Ekitike together when outlining the recovery order.

“In terms of order, I think the closest one to returning is Leoni. After will be Conor and Hugo, but especially the last two are still way off. We are talking about months and still a lot of time out.”

The expectation is that Bradley, like Ekitike, will only come into contention around November or December, assuming his rehabilitation continues without setback.

Giovanni Leoni

Leoni is the closest of the long-term absentees to a return, but his story is one of patience and endurance. An ACL injury has already cost him almost a full year of football and he is only now edging towards the final stages of his recovery.

Again, Iraola placed him at the front of the queue.

“In terms of order, I think the closest one to returning is Leoni. After will be Conor and Hugo, but especially the last two are still way off. We are talking about months and still a lot of time out.”

Leoni is expected back before Bradley and Ekitike, yet the scale of his lay-off means Liverpool will handle him carefully. After a year out, there will be no rush.

So Iraola’s first competitive game in charge arrives with a thin squad, key defenders missing and his main striker carrying the hopes of the attack. How Liverpool ride out these early weeks, with reinforcements still some distance away, will say plenty about what this new era is really built on.