Liverpool without Isak, Gakpo for heavyweight Man City clash

Liverpool will be without Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo for Sunday’s heavyweight Premier League clash with leader Manchester City at Anfield, ​manager Andoni Iraola said on Friday.

Isak’s absence is a significant blow after the striker had finally found his form, scoring four goals in the opening five ‌league games.

Both players returned from international duty with injuries, ‌after Gakpo picked up an ankle injury playing for the Netherlands ​against Serbia while Isak suffered what Iraola described as ⁠a “small” thigh injury with Sweden against Romania.

“Alex Isak and Cody Gakpo will not play the game, they are not ready, they both have injuries in the ‌international break,” Iraola said.

Neither injury is believed to be long term, with ‌Gakpo’s ⁠availability depending on how he copes with the pain while ⁠the club monitors both players day by day.

Their absence could open the door for 21 year old Wales forward Lewis Koumas to lead the attack against City.

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“Koumas has our trust,” Iraola said. “I don’t think it’s a big ‌surprise, I always liked the player and he has already shown in important minutes that he is ready to go and we have also other players who can go in those positions.”

Iraola said a ‌demanding stretch of games before the next international break in November ​would provide a significant test of Liverpool’s credentials.

“I think this run of games we have now with league and Champions League ⁠campaigns resuming, the demands are very high, they are also very condensed, so I think it will say a lot about us,

I think ‌after this run of games, we will really know where we are,” Iraola said.

City tops the table as the only team with a 100 percent record after five games, while Liverpool is six points behind the former in sixth, with two wins and three draws.

The rivalry alone would make Sunday’s clash a blockbuster, but the spotlight on Anfield will be considerably more intense with ‌City playing for the first time since an independent commission found the club guilty of ​more than 100 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.

“I think uncertainty is not good for anyone, and anyone involved, but ‌the process is ongoing and we have to be patient like everyone else and see what happens at the end,” Iraola said ​of the case.