Liverpool vs Fulham: Injury Updates and Arbeloa's Anfield Return

Andoni Iraola is bracing for another anxious wait over Cody Gakpo as Liverpool prepare to welcome Alvaro Arbeloa back to Anfield in the Premier League.

Gakpo a doubt, Barcola ready

Gakpo missed Wednesday night’s win over Atletico Madrid with what Iraola labelled “adductor issues”, and the forward remains a serious doubt for the clash with Arbeloa’s Fulham.

“[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, who impressed on his full debut against Atletico before being forced off in the second half, is expected to be available.

“Yes, Barcola was just cramps,” Iraola explained. “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 also edging closer. The defender, sidelined since pre-season with a muscle problem, could come into contention as he nears a return, while Federico Chiesa continues his own rehabilitation and is not yet ready to feature.

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 facing a slow and carefully managed route back into the squad. Iraola did not disguise the scale of the task, but he left the door open for a late European impact.

“I think it’s difficult with these long-term injuries, I think he’s still far [away],” he admitted. “But we had a meeting with the medical department to analyse when we completed the 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 come into the weekend on the back of a hard-fought 2-1 win over Atletico on September 9, with Alisson, Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Barcola, Wirtz, Ngumoha and Isak all starting that night.

Arbeloa’s Anfield return

On the opposite bench, Arbeloa brings Fulham to a stadium he knows intimately, still searching for his first Premier League points in charge of the Cottagers.

Tom Cairney is set to be Fulham’s only absentee for the trip to Merseyside, the midfielder sidelined 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.”

For Arbeloa, who made 98 appearances for Liverpool between 2007 and 2009, the occasion carries obvious weight.

“It will be so special,” the Spaniard said. “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.”

Fulham arrive on the back of 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.

Anfield, then, stages more than just another league fixture: Iraola juggling injuries and European planning on one side, Arbeloa chasing his first points and a statement result on the other. One searching for rhythm, the other for liftoff.