Liverpool's Barcola Boost as Gakpo Faces Fitness Race Ahead of Fulham Clash

Anfield exhaled on Friday. Andoni Iraola moved to calm fears over Bradley Barcola’s fitness, confirming the club’s record signing is expected to be available for Liverpool’s Premier League meeting with Fulham on Saturday – though Cody Gakpo is far less certain to feature.

Liverpool host the winless Cottagers in a 3pm kickoff, protecting an unbeaten start to the league campaign and riding the high of a dramatic midweek comeback in Europe. The only cloud over that 2-1 victory against Atletico Madrid had been Barcola’s withdrawal on the hour, the £123 million forward limping off and sparking immediate concern.

The diagnosis proved far kinder than the optics.

“We still need to train this afternoon, but Barcola was just cramps, he finished the game tired so we have to evaluate but there's no injury. He should be available if everything goes normal,” Iraola said at his pre-match press conference.

For a player already carrying the weight of a blockbuster fee and early expectations, that single word – “cramps” – changes the whole mood around Anfield. Barcola has quickly become central to Liverpool’s attacking shape, and the idea of losing him just as the season begins to settle into rhythm would have been a jolt.

Gakpo, though, is a genuine doubt.

The Dutch forward missed the Atletico tie entirely after suffering an adductor issue in last week’s match against Ipswich Town. His absence was felt, not least because he has opened the league campaign in sharp form, with one goal and three assists in Liverpool’s first three Premier League fixtures.

“Cody we will see,” Iraola admitted. “He did not train yesterday, so today we will try with him and let's see if he's ready for tomorrow or we need to wait until the next one.”

That uncertainty leaves Liverpool walking a fine line. Push too hard and the risk of aggravating the problem rises; hold him back and Iraola goes into another league game without one of his most productive attackers. Against a Fulham side still searching for their first win, the temptation to rotate and protect key players will be strong, but so too is the urge to keep momentum rolling.

Behind those short-term calls lies a longer, more delicate story: Hugo Ekitike’s road back from a serious Achilles rupture in April.

“Hugo, it's difficult with these long-term injuries,” Iraola said. “He's still far. But we had a meeting with all the department to analyse and complete the list of European games and there's a small chance he could play in the last two games of the group stages, but it's too early to say. It's a big injury.

“But if we decided to put him there, it is because there's a hope and a realistic chance he could help us in January.”

The message is clear. Barcola is expected to be there for Fulham, Gakpo is fighting the clock, and Ekitike is working towards a possible late cameo in Europe before a meaningful return in the new year.

For now, Iraola must juggle risk and reward, knowing that the decisions he makes this weekend could echo deep into Liverpool’s season.