Szoboszlai injury doubt for Brentford clash

Dominik Szoboszlai is still a major injury doubt for Liverpool’s upcoming Premier League clash with Brentford, according to manager Andoni Iraola ^[1]. The Hungarian midfielder missed both Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City and their 6-3 Champions League win over LASK due to a hamstring issue. Iraola confirmed on Thursday that it is still too early to rule Szoboszlai out, stating the team will ‘wait and see’ after two more training sessions ^[2].

The same uncertainty surrounds fellow attackers Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak, both of whom were absent in the past two fixtures ^[2]. Iraola said he is keeping the door open for their potential return, despite admitting they were not ready for the LASK game.

Liverpool will also be without Ryan Gravenberch, suspended after his red card in the City match ^[1]. Iraola stressed the need for rotation due to a congested schedule, with games coming every three days or less. He noted the team will need to rotate again for the Brentford fixture and the upcoming clash with Villarreal ^[2].

Despite the injury setbacks, Iraola praised the performances of Trey Nyonyi and Lewis Koumas in the Champions League win ^[2]. Bradley Barcola also made headlines with a hat-trick against LASK, a feat Iraola highlighted as a sign of growing confidence, especially given the Frenchman had no pre-season minutes.

Meanwhile, Giovanni Leoni continues his slow return from a serious ACL injury, with Iraola confirming his return to first-team training will now be delayed until the next international break ^[1]. The manager stressed the need for caution, noting the injury involved multiple areas around the knee. The story was first reported by Metro and The Independent.