Wirtz Doubtful as Liverpool Face Chelsea Without Key Players
Liverpool welcome Chelsea to Anfield on Wednesday night with a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals at stake, and head coach Andoni Iraola is again short of senior players.
The latest name on the list is Florian Wirtz. He limped off in the 65th minute of Sunday's Premier League win over Brighton with a twisted ankle, and Iraola said afterwards he was a doubt for Chelsea. "It's not too bad," Wirtz said. "I think it's not too serious. I've been twisting my ankle a bit over the last few weeks." He hopes to be back for the next game. The Echo lists the Arsenal match on 1 November as his likely return date.
Who else is missing
Dominik Szoboszlai has missed the wins over Villarreal and Brighton. He went off after 32 minutes of his comeback at Brentford with a hamstring problem. Iraola said he had begun training alone on the grass but had not yet joined the group. Arsenal is also the target date for him.
Victor Munoz picked up a knock at Brentford, a game he began by scoring an equaliser. He sat out Villarreal and Brighton too. "I think it's going to be difficult but I really don't know," Iraola said before the Brighton game. Chelsea is the earliest he could return.
Jeremie Frimpong has a new muscle injury, suffered within the first few minutes of his appearance at Brentford. Iraola does not expect him before the November international break, which leaves the club without a fit senior right-back. The Echo gives 22 November, the Manchester United home game, as a possible return.
Giovanni Leoni, who tore his ACL on his debut in the Carabao Cup against Southampton in September 2025, was expected to resume full training in the last international break. Iraola said the knee injury was "not just an ACL" and that the return has slipped to the next break, with December the potential comeback month.
Hugo Ekitike has not played since rupturing an Achilles tendon against Paris Saint-Germain in April. L'Equipe reports he could be back in training next month, and his target is said to be Boxing Day. Conor Bradley, out since an ACL injury at Arsenal in January, is nearing light work with the group, with no return date set.
Source: Liverpool Echo