Florian Wirtz is a doubt for Liverpool's Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Chelsea at Anfield on Wednesday after limping off in the Premier League win over Brighton & Hove Albion. Head coach Andoni Iraola must again manage without several senior players, with Dominik Szoboszlai, Victor Munoz and Jeremie Frimpong also sidelined.
Wirtz races to be fit for Arsenal
Wirtz left the field in the 65th minute against Brighton with a twisted ankle, and Iraola admitted after the game that the German would be a doubt to face Chelsea. Both player and coach have played down the severity of the issue, with Wirtz revealing he has been managing the injury for several weeks.
"I think it should be all right. It's not too bad," Wirtz said. "I don't know much yet, we have to check it but it won't be long. We haven't done any tests yet, but I think it's not too serious. I've been twisting my ankle a bit over the last few weeks. I need to get that sorted out somehow. Then I think I'll be back for the next game."
Potential return date: Arsenal (H), November 1.
Szoboszlai and Munoz close to returns
Szoboszlai sat out victories over Villarreal and Brighton after being forced off after 32 minutes of his return against Brentford with a hamstring injury. Iraola confirmed the midfielder would miss the Brighton match but said he had started training alone on the grass.
"Dom is going to be out this weekend. He hasn't trained with the group still," he said. "But Dom is in a good place. He's already training outside alone and he's going to train with the group, but he's not ready for this one."
Potential return date: Arsenal (H), November 1.
Munoz was again absent against Brighton, having picked up a knock in the win at Brentford. Iraola said before the Seagulls match: "Victor, he has the knock he received against Brentford (in the) first half. He could finish the game very well. But he's dealing with some pain since then and it was too early the other day against Villarreal. I don't know if he's going to arrive. I think it's going to be difficult but I really don't know."
Potential return date: Chelsea (H), October 28.
Frimpong, Leoni, Ekitike and Bradley updates
Frimpong sustained a new muscle injury shortly after coming on against Brentford, and Iraola conceded the right-back would not return before the November international break.
"Jeremie Frimpong is obviously a new muscle injury and it happened, I think, in the second or third minute he was playing, difficult to predict and we will have to wait until he recovers," he said. "But it's going to be difficult, I think, before the [November international] break. We will try but it's going to be difficult to have him."
Potential return date: Manchester United (H), November 22.
Giovanni Leoni's return after more than a year out has been delayed, with the centre-back's injury more complicated than initially reported. The £26m arrival from Parma has been absent since suffering ACL damage on his debut in the Carabao Cup win over Southampton in September 2025. Iraola said: "It's taking more time than we wanted. The planning was to train with the team in this past international break [but] probably it's going to be in the next international break, so we've lost one month in the process."
Hugo Ekitike, who ruptured his Achilles tendon against Paris Saint-Germain in April, could return to training next month, with a target of Boxing Day. Iraola said: "He is still doing very well according to the plan."
Conor Bradley is further ahead than Ekitike and closing in on light training after an ACL injury in January. Iraola said: "Conor is not so far from training with the group – not like full training but doing some things with the group." His potential return date is unknown.
