While Andoni Iraola’s heavily-depleted side more than matched City for an hour at Anfield, they simply did not cope after being reduced to 10-men and were ruthlessly punished following Ryan Gravenberch’s red card.
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they → deplete → card
Jeremy Jacquet shook off a hamstring strain to start, while Federico Chiesa made his first appearance of the season as a late substitute.
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Chiesa → shake → substitute
Liverpool’s response in Europe will be key and Gravenberch will be available for selection as his suspension only applies to domestic matches, but Iraola looks set to be without three key players against LASK.
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Iraola → apply → LASK
Dominik Szoboszlai was a surprise absentee from the Liverpool matchday squad against Man City as pre-match fears were realised when the team news was announced around an hour before kick-off at Anfield.
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news → realise → Anfield
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“Another one coming from the international games,” said the Liverpool boss on Sky Sports.
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boss → read → Sports
“He came with an overload, he felt a tight hamstring.
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he → come → hamstring
“He's tried somehow, kind of pushing through training, but he was not feeling 100 per cent and we will have to wait for Dom, yes.”
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we → try → Dom
Iraola then delivered a fresh update on Szoboszlai after the loss to Man City and did not sound too confident about the midfielder recovering in time to travel to Austria.
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midfielder → deliver → Austria
Liverpool will hope Szoboszlai is fit enough for a return against Brentford next weekend.
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Szoboszlai → hope → Brentford
As such, Liverpool had to make do without the in-form forwards against Man City, with youngster Lewis Koumas handed a first Premier League start.
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Koumas → have → start
Isak sustained a thigh injury during Sweden’s win against Romania on September 25, and like Szoboszlai, is unlikely to recover in time to face LASK on Wednesday night.
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Isak → sustain → night
Liverpool’s open training session on Tuesday before flying out to Austria will provide further clarity on the striker’s issue, if not Iraola’s next update when addressing the media.
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session → fly → media
Potential return date: Saturday October 17, vs Brentford (A)
Cody Gakpo
They say bad things happen in threes and the loss of Cody Gakpo was another hammer blow for Liverpool going into the Manchester City showdown.
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loss → say → showdown
The Dutchman was on the receiving end of a strong tackle from Sasa Lukic against Serbia on September 27 and then requested to be taken off after attempting to carry on.
He then returned to Liverpool early for assessment on the ankle injury sustained before being ruled out against Man City and it would appear he will remain on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
“It's true that now we play four games in 10 days, so it's going to be difficult because we fly to Austria in two days,” Iraola said of his injured players after the loss to City.
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Iraola → receive → City
“I think it's going to be difficult to recover any of the players.”
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it → think → players
Potential return date: Unknown
Giovanni Leoni
Leoni signed for Liverpool from Parma last summer in a deal worth around £26million, but a serious knee injury means he has been limited to just one senior appearance so far.
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he → sign → appearance
The Italian central defender made his Liverpool debut in a Carabao Cup third round tie against Southampton in September 2025, and impressed before landing awkwardly following a challenge near the touchline just over 10 minutes from time.
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defender → make → time
Leoni required treatment on the pitch before being stretchered off and it was later confirmed he had suffered an ACL tear.
He was expected to miss a full year of action, which has proved to be the case.
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which → require → action
In a huge boost for Liverpool, it has been reported by The Athletic that Leoni should be back in full training from this week.
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Leoni → report → week
That said, having been sidelined for over a year, he will, perhaps, need some minutes for the under-21s before being considered for first-team action.
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he → say → action
Potential return date: Tuesday October 27, vs Chelsea (H)
Hugo Ekitike
Hugo Ekitike has not played since rupturing his right Achilles tendon in the second leg of Liverpool’s Champions League quarter-final tie against Paris Saint-Germain in April.
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Ekitike → play → April
The Frenchman missed the end of last season and the World Cup, with suggestions that he would remain sidelined for a period of between nine to 12 months, which would put him on track to return between January and April next year.
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which → miss → January
Iraola recently sprung a surprise by including Ekitike in his squad for the league phase of the Champions League, with the hope that he could potentially return for the final two games in January, against Inter Milan and Lens.
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he → spring → Milan
According to reports in France, Ekitike is now targeting a return from injury before the end of the year after recently travelling to the United States to visit a specialist about his recovery.
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Ekitike → accord → recovery
Conor Bradley is another long-term absentee for Liverpool, having undergone surgery on bone and ligament damage to his left knee suffered during the closing stages of the goalless draw with Arsenal in the Premier League back in January.
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Bradley → undergo → January
Providing a new update on the Northern Ireland international, Iraola said: “He is not close to training with the team.
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He → provide → team
He is training alone but he has started touching the ball.
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he → train → ball
We want him back as soon as possible.
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We → want → him
“He has a road a little bit ahead of him and it is going to take some time.
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it → have → time
“I think [Giovanni] Leoni is a little bit ahead of him and still it’s going to take some time for Conor, yes.”
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it → think → Conor
The Aporia
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