Liverpool
The latest injury news adds to the problems at Liverpool, as Dominik Szoboszlai is set to miss more games. Andoni Iraola said a thigh problem forced him off against Brentford.
Dominik Szoboszlai suffers fresh thigh problem
As reported by Football Insider, Szoboszlai went down off the ball in the first half and looked towards the bench. He was taken off after 32 minutes, though he sat on the bench for the second half. It is a thigh issue that kept him out of the two games against Manchester City and LASK.
Further tests will now show how long he will be out, and Iraola has given no return date. Last season he scored 13 goals and set up 12 in 53 games, the best year of his career in club football. That is 0.47 goals and assists per game, a rate Liverpool will struggle to replace. He started all six Premier League and Champions League games before the City match, so Iraola leans on him. From a tactical perspective, his pressing and quick passing matter most on the break, so Liverpool will lose speed there.
Szoboszlai’s 2026/27 stats for Liverpool so far, as per FOTMOB:
Competition Matches Chances created Defensive contributions Cleans sheets Duels won%
Premier League 6 11 47 2 35.6%
EFL Cup 1 – – – –
UCL 1 5 3 0 50%
What Andoni Iraola said after the Brentford win
Iraola said he faced a hard choice after the midweek Champions League trip to LASK in Austria. The team got home late with little rest, so he weighed tired starters against players coming back from injury. On Szoboszlai, he said it was “not a new injury”and had likely not healed enough. Iraola confirmed after the win that Liverpool will lose both Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong for some time.
Frimpong was the second player Liverpool lost, forced off soon after he came on from the bench. The coach said Frimpong’s problem was new, and the player had felt cramp in the LASK game. He chose Frimpong over Ronald Araujo because forward runs and extra width would help against ten men. Victor Munoz then moved to right-back and pleased Iraola, who now has a stopgap option while Frimpong is out. With Conor Bradley out long term, the change made sense but showed how thin Liverpool are at right-back.
Liverpool fixtures Szoboszlai could miss
Szoboszlai was expected to miss the Champions League game at home to Villarreal on Tuesday, which has now been played. His next possible return is the Premier League game against Brighton. Brighton visit on Sunday 25 October at 2pm, having beaten Crystal Palace 5-0 last weekend. They beat champions Arsenal 3-0 before the break, and their last four league wins add up to 15-0. Ryan Gravenberch is back from a one-match ban for his red card against City, but Szoboszlai is unlikely to be. Without him, Iraola may ask Gravenberch to cover the defence and give another player the forward role.
Arsenal visit on Sunday 1 November, and Liverpool then go to Crystal Palace on Sunday 8 November. Manchester United come to Anfield on 22 November, before a derby trip to Everton on 29 November. That makes five league games at risk if his absence lasts until the end of November. Two Champions League away trips in November, to Fenerbahce and Club Brugge, add to the workload.
Szoboszlai has played only 32 minutes in Liverpool’s last three games, so rhythm will matter when he returns. Brighton have scored 23 league goals in seven games, so Liverpool will need a tight midfield without him.