Liverpool travels to Bournemouth on Sunday as the Reds look to get back to winning ways in the Premier League, but Andoni Iraola will be without several players for the trip to his former club
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 12: Andoni Iraola manager of Liverpool gestures during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Liverpool FC and Fulham at Anfield on September 12, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola returns to Bournemouth with Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool heads to Bournemouth on Sunday as Reds boss Andoni Iraola prepares to come up against his former club. Iraola's side remains unbeaten across all competitions so far this season.
The Reds triumphed over Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 in the League Cup on Tuesday, following last Saturday's frustrating 0-0 stalemate at home to Fulham. Liverpool finds itself tenth in the Premier League table after four matches and will be eager to head into the extended international break on the back of a positive result.
However, Iraola will continue to be without a number of key players for this weekend's trip to the south coast. Hugo Ekitike remains in the midst of his recovery from an Achilles injury sustained in April and is still several months away from making his return.
Giovanni Leoni, meanwhile, is in the closing stages of his rehabilitation from an ACL injury suffered on his debut in the Carabao Cup back in September of last year. Fellow defender Conor Bradley also sustained an ACL injury in January during a goalless encounter with Arsenal and remains on the sidelines.
No timescale has been provided regarding when Liverpool expect to have the Northern Ireland international back in training, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Elsewhere, Federico Chiesa is yet to make an appearance for Liverpool having picked up an injury during the latter stages of pre-season. Iraola confirmed at his pre-match press conference that the Italy international remains unavailable for the clash against Bournemouth, with no firm return date yet established.
Federico Chiesa of Liverpool during the during the pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and AS Monaco
Federico Chiesa has been out of action for Liverpool with an injury(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
On the Bournemouth front, Julian Araujo is sidelined with a thigh injury and is not expected back until at least November. The same timeline has been indicated for Eli Kroupi, who is nursing an ankle complaint.
Meanwhile, Amine Adli is ruled out with a calf issue, while Veljko Milosavljevic will also sit out the fixture due to a knee injury. Both players are pencilled in for an October return.
When quizzed about heading back to his former club, Iraola said: "I think we have it (freshness). This time we play two days before they so there is an advantage there but I know where we are going, I know their staff and their stadium there.
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"Long while, you realize how difficult it is to beat Bournemouth. They know me and I know them.
"It's going to be in the personal side, I am looking forward to it, players I love, staff I appreciate so much. I was buzzing for them so much in their first European game yesterday, but we need to go there and win. Be as ruthless as possible, leave the talks until after the game.
"They haven't changed too much in terms of names, same XI, few changes. Lost [Marcos] Senesi, signed [Antonio] Silva, similar. The main ideas are still there, I talk to Marco Rose and they haven't changed too much. Dangerous team."