Andoni Iraola has downplayed fears of a seious injury to Cody Gakpo after the Dutchman was left out of Liverpool’s matchday squad against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
Following an excellent start to the season which has seen him accrue a goal and three assists, the 27-year-old sat out the Reds’ training session on Tuesday as a precaution, and the head coach has decided not to take any risks with the in-form attacker.
His place in the starting XI is taken by Bradley Barcola, who comes in to make his first start for LFC after making his debut off the bench in the win over Ipswich last Friday.
Speaking to reporters ahead of kick-off, Iraola explained that Gakpo picked up a minor issue at Portman Road five days ago and isn’t being risked tonight, with a view to potentially having him back for the Premier League clash at home to Fulham on Saturday.
The Reds boss said (via Liverpool Echo): “Cody finished the game against Ipswich with some adductor issues. It is not a proper injury. We didn’t want to risk him and it make sense he can rest and hope we can have him for the next game.”
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It’s a blow for Liverpool that one of their most in-form players misses out on the opening night of Champions League action, but with two more matches to come in the next week, Iraola is clearly erring on the side of caution.
The good news for the Reds is that Gakpo plays in the one area of the pitch where we have plenty of choice, with Barcola and Rio Ngumoha coming in to start tonight and Victor Munoz also available off the bench.
With that in mind, there was no need to take any unnecessary risks with the Dutchman, who’ll be a vital player for us this season if his recent performance levels are extrapolated throughout the entire campaign.
His absence against Atletico gives Barcola the opportunity to enjoy a first start for Liverpool in front of the adoring Anfield faithful, and it’ll be interesting to see how many minutes the Frenchman is afforded after getting almost half an hour as a substitute against Ipswich.
Hopefully Gakpo will be cleared to play against Fulham on Saturday and his teammates can do the business in his absence tonight!
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