Liverpool's Barcola Boost and Gakpo's Fitness Race Before Fulham Clash
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola moved quickly to calm fears over Bradley Barcola’s fitness – but admitted Cody Gakpo is in a late race to make Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Fulham at Anfield.
The unbeaten Reds host a Fulham side still searching for their first league win of the season in a 3pm kickoff, and the focus in the buildup has been on the condition of two key attackers.
Barcola, Liverpool’s £123 million summer signing, was forced off on the hour in Wednesday’s 2-1 comeback victory over Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, sparking concern that the France international had suffered a setback so early in his Anfield career.
Those fears have been parked.
“We still need to train this afternoon, but Barcola was just cramps, he finished the game tired so we have to evaluate but there's no injury. He should be available if everything goes normal,” Iraola confirmed at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
The 21-year-old’s availability is a major boost for Liverpool as they look to extend their strong start to the campaign and keep their attacking rhythm intact against the winless Cottagers.
Gakpo’s situation is more delicate.
The Dutch forward missed the Atletico win entirely after picking up an adductor problem against Ipswich Town last week. His form had been one of the stories of Liverpool’s opening weeks, with a goal and three assists in their first three league fixtures under Iraola.
Now he is a doubt.
“Cody we will see. He did not train yesterday [Thursday], so today we will try with him and let's see if he's ready for tomorrow [Saturday] or we need to wait until the next one,” Iraola said.
If Gakpo fails to make it, Liverpool lose one of their most productive early-season performers at a time when Iraola is still bedding in his ideas and combinations in the final third.
Long-term concern over Ekitike
While Barcola’s issue looks minor and Gakpo’s is being managed day by day, Hugo Ekitike remains on a far longer road.
The striker has been sidelined since rupturing his Achilles in April. Liverpool do not expect him to be fully recovered before January at the earliest, and Iraola was blunt about the scale of the challenge facing the forward.
“Hugo, it's difficult with these long-term injuries,” he said. “He's still far. But we had a meeting with all the department to analyse and complete the list of European games and there's a small chance he could play in the last two games of the group stages, but it's too early to say. It's a big injury.
“But if we decided to put him there, it is because there's a hope and a realistic chance he could help us in January.”
For now, Iraola’s immediate concern is Fulham, an unbeaten record to protect, and the hope that Barcola lines up from the start while Gakpo proves his fitness in time to join him.
