Andoni Iraola's Liverpool Debut in Champions League vs Atletico Madrid
Andoni Iraola steps into the Champions League spotlight for the first time as Liverpool head coach tonight, and there are no soft landings. Atletico Madrid. Under the lights. At Anfield.
It is a fixture loaded with recent history. Liverpool have turned the tide against Diego Simeone’s side, winning the last three meetings after managing just one victory in their first six clashes since 2008. Anfield remembers the pain; it also remembers the revenge.
Gakpo ruled out after late setback
All eyes had been on Cody Gakpo after he missed team training on Tuesday. Initially, the 27-year-old’s absence was played down as precautionary, but any lingering optimism vanished when the squad list dropped. He is out of the matchday group entirely.
Gakpo, heavily linked with a move to Manchester City in the summer, has opened the season in sharp form. One goal and three assists in the Premier League so far, including both assists in the 2-0 win at Ipswich Town, had underlined his growing influence in Iraola’s attack.
The setback, though, is not expected to be long term. Iraola revealed the forward picked up a minor adductor problem in that Ipswich game.
“Cody finished the game the other day against Ipswich with some adductor issues. Both sides. Nothing specific,” he told TNT Sports before kick-off. “[It is] not a proper injury. But we didn’t want to risk him, and I think it makes sense he can rest and hope we can recover him. If it’s not for the weekend, it’s for the next one. But I think even for the weekend he has a chance.”
For tonight, though, Liverpool must find another route.
Barcola handed full debut on European stage
The door opens for Bradley Barcola. The France forward makes his first Liverpool start in the club’s league-phase opener, thrown straight into Champions League duty as Iraola tweaks the side that beat Ipswich last Friday.
Rio Ngumoha is the other change, with Victor Munoz dropping to the bench. It is an assertive call from Iraola: fresh legs, fresh angles, against a side that revels in suffocating rhythm and space.
Barcola’s inclusion adds a different profile to Liverpool’s front line. Direct, quick, unpredictable. Anfield will not wait long to judge, but there are few stages better to announce yourself than a European night against Atletico Madrid.
Injury list shapes Iraola’s options
Gakpo’s absence is only one piece of a wider puzzle Iraola has been juggling since the season began.
Hugo Ekitike remains a long-term absentee as he continues his rehabilitation from the serious Achilles injury he suffered in April. His recovery strips Liverpool of another attacking option, one that might have eased the load on Gakpo in these early weeks.
At the back, Joe Gomez is still working his way back. The defender damaged his hamstring in the opening minutes of Liverpool’s first pre-season game and has been sidelined since. He returned to full training on Tuesday, a significant step forward, but was not named in the squad to face Atletico. The message is clear: no shortcuts, not in September, not with so much of the season left.
Conor Bradley is also still out with the knee injury he picked up in January, while Giovanni Leoni continues his recovery from a knee problem sustained last September. Both absences limit Iraola’s flexibility in defensive rotations and wide areas.
Further up the pitch, Federico Chiesa is yet to feature this season and was omitted from Liverpool’s Champions League squad entirely, narrowing the attacking pool for these group fixtures. Wataru Endo is also unavailable for the same registration reason, trimming the options in midfield on a night when control and discipline will be crucial.
A new era meets an old rival
So Iraola walks out for his first Champions League game as Liverpool head coach with key figures missing, a debutant starting, and Simeone glaring from the opposite technical area. The numbers say Liverpool have worked Atletico out in recent years. The competition, the noise, and the stakes say nothing is ever that simple.
Anfield has seen new eras begin before. How quickly this one hardens into a team built for Europe may be shaped by nights exactly like this.
