Gakpo Doubtful for Fulham Clash, Iraola Confirms Barcola Has No Injury

Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo is a doubt for Saturday’s match against Fulham, while Iraola expects Barcola to be available to complete his first full Premier League appearance.

Gakpo missed Wednesday’s Champions League win over Atletico Madrid due to an “adductor issue” after feeling discomfort on both sides following the away victory over Ipswich Town. The 27-year-old came close to leaving Liverpool in the summer, but has made a strong start to the season, assisting all three of Isak’s Premier League goals, including two in last Friday’s 2-1 win over Ipswich Town.

Barcola’s situation

After joining Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain for a high fee, Barcola made his first start for the club and impressed, but was substituted late in the match due to cramps. Iraola said: “Barcola only had cramps. We will assess his situation today, but there is no injury. If everything is normal, I think he should be able to play.”

On Gakpo, Iraola said: “We will see with Gakpo. We will try today and see whether he is ready to play tomorrow or whether he needs to wait until the next match.”

Iraola remains unbeaten

Iraola has remained unbeaten in his first four matches with Liverpool, with the Reds facing Fulham on Saturday afternoon after consecutive wins over Ipswich Town and Atletico Madrid. However, the Basque manager also believes there is plenty of room for improvement.

Iraola’s team have scored two goals in each of their four matches so far, and he said: “This team has the ability to score. We have been dangerous in all the games and created chances. We scored two goals in the last two matches, and we could have scored more. Now the key is to improve our efficiency.”

“So do not concede two goals against Newcastle, do not concede two goals against Nottingham Forest. The timing of goals is also important, because I think our starts have not been good enough. We started well against Ipswich, and when you start like that, the match looks easier.”

“I hope to score first and make things easier, but we must have the right mentality. We did not start badly against Atletico Madrid, but I think the start of matches is one of the areas where we can do better. I hope we show ourselves from the beginning.”