Iraola leaves door open for Liverpool trio to face Brentford

Liverpool could have Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak and Dominik Szoboszlai available for Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Brentford, after Andoni Iraola refused to rule out their returns.

The three players have missed Liverpool’s past two matches after sustaining injuries during the September/October international break. Their fitness will be assessed after another training session before the club decides whether they can feature at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Thursday, Iraola said the trio had not been ready for the previous night’s match against LASK but could yet be considered for the Brentford game.

“It’s early for us to say, we have still tomorrow’s training,” he said. “Obviously, they were not ready for last night [against LASK]. We have to wait and see.

“I think it’s still very early but the same way I said they are not available for the previous games, I leave the chance open this time, yes.”

Liverpool’s potential boost comes during a particularly demanding spell, with the Brentford fixture scheduled fewer than 72 hours after their Champions League victory in Austria.

They will then face another European assignment against Villarreal three days after the Brentford match, placing further pressure on the squad and reducing the time available for recovery.

Iraola said Liverpool would need to rotate their team to cope with the congested schedule and emphasised the importance of having as many players fit as possible.

“In this period especially, when we are basically playing every three days almost less than three days you need more players,” the Spaniard said.

“That’s why we changed the team a little bit yesterday. We will need to change again at the weekend, we will need to change again when we face Villarreal in another three days.

“We need everyone, we will need everyone in one moment or the other. Everyone has to be ready because we will need him probably.”

Liverpool’s medical team will continue to monitor Gakpo, Isak and Szoboszlai before the final decision is made.

Their possible return would give Iraola more options for the Premier League fixture, although the club must wait until the players complete the next training session to determine whether any of them are ready to play.