Iraola hints Barcola could start for Liverpool against Atletico Madrid

Andoni Iraola has suggested Bradley Barcola could make his first Liverpool start against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday at Anfield.

Barcola is ready to take on a greater workload after making his Liverpool debut in Friday’s 2-0 Premier League victory over Ipswich Town, although Iraola indicated that the France international may initially be limited to around 45 or 60 minutes.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Iraola said Barcola had trained well and was prepared to play more minutes, despite missing a conventional pre-season build-up.

“He is ready to play more minutes. He has been training more or less normally, and the only thing is that he did not have a pre-season like many of the players,” said Iraola.

“We have to take that into account, but he is in very good shape and he can definitely play more minutes. I see him like any normal player, bearing in mind that he has not had many minutes in pre-season to build up his level, but he is ready to play more minutes.”

Barcola’s availability provides a boost to Liverpool ahead of the meeting with Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, although the Reds could still be without five players for the Champions League fixture.

The 22-year-old was used on the left wing during his first appearance for Liverpool, as expected. The player he replaced, Munoz, had started the match on the right.

Barcola joined Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain for £106m and was introduced during the win at Ipswich, making his first appearance for the club since completing the move.

His appearance at Ipswich was also his first competitive or friendly match since France’s defeat by England in the World Cup third-place play-off on 18 July. Barcola had not featured in any of Liverpool’s or Paris Saint-Germain’s matches during the build-up to the new season.

Despite being on the pitch for only a short period, he made an encouraging impression during Liverpool’s victory. Barcola created one chance, completed five carries with the ball and produced one successful dribble in the minutes he played.

Iraola’s comments raise the possibility that Barcola could be handed his first start for Liverpool against Atletico Madrid, but his lack of a full pre-season remains a factor in deciding how long he can be used.

The match at Anfield will give Barcola an opportunity to make his first Champions League appearance for Liverpool after arriving from Paris Saint-Germain in a major summer transfer. His ability to operate from the left was already evident against Ipswich, and a more extended involvement against Simeone’s side would represent another step in his integration into the team.