Liverpool Manager Andoni Iraola and Bradley Barcola
Liverpool Manager Andoni Iraola and Bradley Barcola
Andoni Iraola has managed a steady run of fitness problems since taking charge at Liverpool.
Sky Sports has now reported on Bradley Barcola ahead of Sunday’s Premier League game against Brighton.
Hugo Ekitike and Conor Bradley were already facing long-term injuries before Iraola arrived, and Giovanni Leoni is also out. The list grew after the international break.
Alexander Isak (thigh) and Cody Gakpo (ankle) withdrew from international duty and missed the 3-0 home defeat by Manchester City on October 11. Dominik Szoboszlai returned from Hungary with a hamstring problem and missed that game and the Champions League win at LASK.
At Brentford last Saturday, Szoboszlai lasted 32 minutes before coming off again. Iraola said it was not a new injury. Jeremie Frimpong came on at half-time and went off after seven minutes.
Iraola said it was a new muscle injury and that the right-back is unlikely to return before the November international break.
Iraola said Liverpool “couldn’t risk” Isak in the 4-3 Champions League win over Villarreal on Tuesday, as the striker was coming back from a muscle injury. Victor Munoz missed that game with a knee problem and is a doubt for Brighton.
That brings the focus to Bradley Barcola. According to Sky Sports, the France forward was not shown on the Sky cameras because he is doing an individual recovery session.
Barcola scored a hat-trick in the 6-3 win at LASK on October 14. He then started at Brentford and set up Isak’s winner. Against Villarreal he came off the bench in the 73rd minute.
Iraola said Barcola and Florian Wirtz would have been making their fourth start in 10 days, and that both finished the Brentford game tired.
Barcola’s fitness has been monitored since he joined from Paris Saint-Germain. He had not played since the World Cup when he arrived.
He went off with cramp against Atletico Madrid in September, and Iraola said then that the issue was building his physical condition.
Barcola later told Sky Sports he had cramps in his first games and that his fitness is improving through training.
Liverpool have won their last three matches, against LASK, Brentford and Villarreal. They are fifth in the Premier League on 12 points, while third-placed Brighton have 16.
Sunday’s game at Anfield kicks off at 2pm GMT. Liverpool then host Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on October 28 and Arsenal in the league on November 1.
“We’re told Barcola is undergoing an individual training session”
Vinny O’Connor gives an update from Liverpool training ahead of a crunch fixture against Brighton this weekend ⏩ https://t.co/Bz5L31KBfP
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 22, 2026
Support DaveOCKOP and enjoy the site completely ad-free. You’ll get an uninterrupted browsing experience while helping us continue to deliver the latest Liverpool news, breaking stories and exclusives. Go ad-free today.