Up to six players could be absent when Liverpool face Newcastle United in their Premier League opener at St James' Park on Sunday. Andoni Iraola will take charge of the Reds in the competition for the first time, while Matthias Jaissle makes his debut in the division as Newcastle's new boss.
Liverpool's injury list
Iraola will be without several long-term absentees. Conor Bradley is not expected back until 2027, while Hugo Ekitike remains unavailable for a matter of months. Giovanni Leoni, who suffered an ACL injury last September, is on course to return before that duo but may yet spend a year out of action.
Joe Gomez is also ruled out, with the former Bournemouth boss saying in pre-season that it would be 'impossible' for him to return in time for the start of the campaign following his muscle injury.
Isak's fitness and Newcastle's absences
Alexander Isak has travelled with the squad after Iraola confirmed he will need to be managed following his issues last season. "Right now I think he is in a very good place, he's been training every day," Iraola said in his press conference. "He hasn't missed a training session, he's adding more and more minutes in every friendly game."
Newcastle, who lost key midfielders Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes this summer, will be without Joelinton. "For sure out for a couple of weeks but I don't want to go too much in detail as there will always be specialists involved," Jaissle explained. Tino Livramento is also out after a training ground injury in the United States ended his World Cup dream. "For sure, too early [to return against Liverpool]," Jaissle said. "He had just one training where he was partially involved."
