Liverpool Wins Champions League Opener but Faces Cody Gakpo Injury Concern
Liverpool’s Champions League campaign began with a win – and a warning.
They edged past Atletico 2–1 in their league-phase opener, but did it without one of the men who has been driving their early-season surge. Cody Gakpo never even made the bench.
The Dutch forward, who has exploded into form under new head coach Andoni Iraola, missed the game after sitting out Tuesday’s key training session. Iraola later explained that Gakpo had picked up niggles in both adductors during his previous 90-minute outing, discomfort sharp enough to rule him out entirely.
Crucially for Liverpool, this is not being treated as a major lay-off. The medical team do not view it as a serious, long-term problem. But the timing is brutal.
“I don’t know [if he will be back for Fulham]. I hope so, but I don’t know. He doesn’t have a proper injury, but he finished with niggles in both of the adductors the other day,” Iraola told the club’s official channels after the Atletico win.
“We expected to have him for today, [but] it hasn’t been possible. It’s not a big thing, but the problem is we play here [again] in two days and a half.”
That schedule is at the heart of Liverpool’s concern. The turnaround before Fulham’s visit is tiny, and Iraola suddenly finds himself juggling risk and reward with one of his most influential players.
Gakpo’s start to the season has been blistering. One goal, three assists, all in his first three matches. He has been the accelerator in Iraola’s new-look attack, stretching defences, linking play, and finishing moves.
His most recent league outing underlined that influence. On Friday night he went the distance, playing the full 90 minutes and tearing into Ipswich Town. Gakpo set up Alexander Isak twice in a commanding 2–0 victory, the sort of performance that makes his absence feel even heavier.
The price of that workload is now clear. Iraola, who has demanded intense, front-foot football since taking charge, openly acknowledged the physical strain on his squad.
“I think now is a moment of recovery in these two days. Let’s see how Bradley has finished, how Cody is [and] if he can give us some minutes,” he said. “If not, Rio, Victor, I think today everyone has done a big effort.”
The message is blunt: reset, or break.
“We need to recover, we need to regroup and think because in two days and a half we play again here [against] Fulham, it’s a very important game again for us. So, I hope we can have Cody with us, but I cannot guarantee it.”
Liverpool have their win. They have momentum. But with the fixtures coming relentlessly and one of their brightest early-season sparks nursing sore muscles, Iraola’s next team sheet against Fulham will say plenty about how hard he’s prepared to push this squad in September.
