Alexander Isak has returned to Anfield after suffering a toe injury while on international duty with Sweden, as Jurgen Klopp has leapt to the defence of under-fire star Florian Wirtz.
The striker damaged his toe against Romania after being stamped on, yet still managed to complete the full 90 minutes. His foot was visibly bloodied in a photograph published by Sportbladet, though Isak has sought to allay concerns that the injury is serious.
Isak said: "It was a real blow. You can see it. It was a real punch. Those of you who have played may know that it takes a few minutes before it releases, but it was okay."
Sweden fixtures affected
Sweden manager Graham Potter had intended to field Isak in all four fixtures; he will now be ruled out of the matches against Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with the return leg against Romania.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are not back in action until October 11, when they face Manchester City at Anfield. Andoni Iraola will be preparing for the visit of Enzo Maresca's side following a mixed start to the 2026/27 Premier League campaign. Liverpool sit in sixth after two wins and three draws so far this season.
Iraola warns of demanding schedule
After making a winning return to Bournemouth, the Reds boss has urged his team to be ready for a challenge after the international break, with plenty of tough matches coming up. Iraola said: "I think overall we've improved, definitely since the first games.
"Some of the things we still need to improve, more things. I am happy it is the third clean sheet in a row in the league. But we still have to get ready because the schedule that we have now, it's very difficult.
"I think we are playing against top-four teams and then in between Champions [League] and then in between Chelsea in the Carabao [Cup] and everything in two, three days. So we have to get ready because this next month, after this break, it's going be very demanding for us."
Klopp backs Wirtz
Jurgen Klopp has claimed that Florian Wirtz arrived at Liverpool at an "unfortunate time" for the club as he continues to stand by the under-fire star. The Germany international has faced scrutiny since his £125million switch from Bayer Leverkusen, with Jamie Carragher worried that Wirtz isn't actually in poor form.
Despite the criticism, Klopp has backed Wirtz to ultimately flourish at Anfield, calling the player into the national squad ahead of schedule following injuries to Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala. Reflecting on the 23-year-old's situation, Klopp explained: "When you look at the overall context, Flo joined Liverpool at a very unfortunate time. It's about the passing of Diogo Jota. He joined a team with the players whose priority was not football at that time, which is very understandable.
"He learned a lot from his first year. Now is a new season under a new coach; he started all games, I think. He's physically doing very well. The team is starting to find itself again. Attacking players always need a functioning team around them.
"Everyone who loves football can still see what an outstanding player Flo Wirtz is. His footballing ability is beyond any doubt. He is on a good path, but people are never satisfied with how quickly things happen. We have to make sure that Flo feels comfortable with us and can fit into what we want from him. With us, hopefully, he can simply be Flo."
