As October's relentless schedule ramps up, the sight of Liverpool boarding their flight to Austria on Tuesday afternoon carried a familiar, lingering sense of intrigue for supporters.
Coming off the back of a disappointing 3-0 home defeat toAs October's relentless schedule ramps up, the sight of Liverpool boarding their flight to Austria on Tuesday afternoon carried a familiar, lingering sense of intrigue for supporters.
Coming off the back of a disappointing 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City, Andoni Iraola takes charge of his first European away fixture as Reds boss on Wednesday night against LASK Linz at the Raiffeisen Arena.
Liverpool kicked off their Champions League campaign in thrilling fashion last month with a 2-1 comeback victory over Atlético Madrid at Anfield where second-half goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister turned the tie around and they now seek to make it two wins from two in the league phase.
Yet as the travelling party touched down, the primary talking point amongst the supporters wasn't who was on the plane, but who had been left behind on Merseyside.
With four crucial matches packed into ten frantic days and the flight departing just 48 hours after Sunday's whistle, Iraola’s squad is being tested to its absolute limit.
The unfortunate trio: Szoboszlai, Isak, and Gakpo miss Austria trip
The major news from the 23-man squad confirmation is that Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak, and Cody Gakpohave all stayed behind. None of the trio recovered in time to board the flight, leaving Iraola distinctly light in attacking options.
Szoboszlai who's running power and box-to-box engine were sorely missed during the defeat to City suffered a hamstring "overload" that ruled him out as a surprise absentee over the weekend.
While Iraola sought to downplay long-term fears by calling the issue "something very small," he admitted in Linz that it remains "difficult [for Szoboszlai] to recover" in time for mid-week continental action.
Meanwhile, international break duty continues to cast a long shadow over Kirkby. Alexander Isak picked up a thigh injury while away with Sweden, while Cody Gakpo returned with an ankle issue. Both sat out against City and face a race against time to feature against Brentford on Saturday or Villarreal next week.
"They are not bad, but it's difficult to tell right now when they will be back. We are taking it day to day. Really the three of them, I don't know if it's going to be Brentford or Villarreal." Iraola said during his pre match press conference.
Long-term absentees & registration complications
The fitness worries go far beyond the recent headlines. Hugo Ekitike continues his lengthy rehabilitation after rupturing his Achilles against Paris Saint-Germain back in April, though Iraola hinted in mid-September that "there is a reasonable chance that he could help us in the last two games" of the Champions League league phase.
Defensively, 19-year-old centre-back Giovanni Leoni remains sidelined as he works his way back from an ACL injury sustained on his debut in September 2025, with an eye on returning later this autumn.
Conor Bradley is stepping up his recovery after undergoing knee surgery following a blow against Arsenal in January; while he hasn't rejoined full team training yet, he has encouragingly begun light ball-work.
Adding to Iraola's headache is UEFA's registration list. With Federico Chiesa not included in the European squad, youngster Lewis Koumas could keep his place in the starting attack alongside Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz.
It isn't all grim news for the Reds. Ryan Gravenberch, who received a second yellow card on 62 minutes against City, is eligible to play at LASK because domestic suspensions do not carry over into UEFA competitions. He will, however, serve his ban against Brentford this weekend.
With senior ranks depleted, the door has opened for Kirkby's finest. Jayden Danns, Wellity Lucky, and Josh Sonni-Lambie have all been named in the 23-man travelling squad. Danns sat out Liverpool U21s' recent 1-0 defeat to Rochdale to manage his workload, and his presence on the bench provides vital reinforcement up front.
Liverpool Travelling Squad vs LASK: Alisson, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Freddie Woodman, Virgil van Dijk, Jérémy Jacquet, Ronald Araújo, Joe Gomez, Wellity Lucky, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Kostas Tsimikas, Luke Chambers, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Trey Nyoni, James McConnell, Florian Wirtz, Bradley Barcola, Victor Munoz, Lewis Koumas, Rio Ngumoha, Jayden Danns, Josh Sonni-Lambie.
For Liverpool fans, taking on European nights with six teenagers in the matchday squad brings an inevitable mix of anxiety and excitement. But if Iraola’s side can dig deep and secure three points in Linz, it will showcase the true depth and resilience of this squad.
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