Liverpool FC Morning Briefing: City visit, Isak & Gakpo out

Liverpool host Manchester City at Anfield today, kicking off at 4.30pm UK time, live on Sky Sports in the UK.

Chris Kavanagh is the referee, with Dan Cook and Nick Greenhalgh as his assistants, Andy Madley as fourth official and Paul Howard on VAR. LFCTV’s Matchday Live starts at 3.15pm UK time, and the Match Centre on liverpoolfc.com is live from 1pm UK time with confirmed team news. Liverpool are unbeaten with two wins and three draws, nine points from five games, while City have won all five for 15 points. The BBC notes Liverpool are still waiting for a first home league win under Andoni Iraola.

Team news

Alexander Isak (thigh) and Cody Gakpo (ankle) are out, as Iraola confirmed on Friday. Between them they have scored five of Liverpool’s seven league goals this season. Hugo Ekitike (Achilles), Conor Bradley (knee) and Giovanni Leoni (knee ligaments) are still long-term absentees. Jeremy Jacquet is fit after missing France’s last game as a precaution, and Federico Chiesa is back in training but “hasn’t played any minutes”. Iraola said Lewis Koumas is probably the only out-and-out No.9 available, but “we have some wingers that have played up front in other teams”. Predicted line-ups, which are guesses and not club news, disagree on whether Bradley Barcola leads the line or Florian Wirtz plays as a false nine.

City’s team news

Phil Foden is serving the last game of his three-match suspension. Erling Haaland is fit, with Enzo Maresca saying he is “ready for Anfield”. Antoine Semenyo (ankle) and Nico O’Reilly (an injury picked up with England) are still doubts, and City have given no further update since Friday. Jeremy Doku could make his first Premier League start of the season.

The backdrop

This is City’s first game since an independent commission found them in breach of the Premier League’s financial rules between 2009-10 and 2017-18. City say they are innocent and have appealed. Maresca said: “I completely trust the club.” Iraola said: “I think uncertainty is not good for anyone involved”, and that his players will be “fully focused on what happens on the pitch”. A “bus greeting” for City’s arrival has been advertised on social media, and Merseyside Police say an appropriate policing plan is in place. Allow extra time to get to the ground: the Merseyrail Northern Line is closed between Hunts Cross and Liverpool city centre, Wirral Line trains terminate at James Street, Sandhills station is partly closed, and Walton Breck Road is closed from two hours before kick-off until one hour after full-time.

Barcola on the City test

Barcola told liverpoolfc.com he is adapting “more and more” to the Premier League, which he finds “very intense” compared with Ligue 1. He prefers the left but is happy on the right, and said: “If we manage to win this game, it’s going to be very good for the future.”

Around the club

Virgil van Dijk’s programme column says: “These are the games every player looks forward to.” The club film “Captains”, with Steven Gerrard, Graeme Souness and Van Dijk, is out now on All Red Video. The U18s lost 5-1 at Stoke in the Premier League Cup on Saturday, with Finn Inglethorpe scoring. Next up is LASK away on Wednesday 14 October (5.45pm UK time).

Transfers, contracts and ownership

Nothing new on a Liverpool deal from Ornstein, Romano, Pearce or Joyce overnight. Mexican outlets say Arsenal have approached Club Tijuana about Gilberto Mora, who turns 18 on Wednesday, with reported release-clause figures varying. The claimed record Liverpool bid still rests on one Mexican TV source and his agent has declined to comment, so treat all of it as unconfirmed. Ben Jacobs reports Monaco want about 70 million euros for Lamine Camara and that Chelsea are unlikely to pay it, but no Liverpool bid has been reported. TEAMtalk says Michael Olise would only consider a move to Spain, and also links Liverpool with 16-year-old Uruguayan Nicolas Scotti, who could not join until he turns 18; both are single-source and unconfirmed. Reports say Liverpool are confident of agreeing a new deal with Rio Ngumoha, but the club has announced nothing. There is nothing credible new on contracts, ownership or staffing.