Liverpool Lunchtime Round-Up, Wednesday 7th October 2026: Internationals Wrap Up as Man City Guilty Verdict Dominates Talk
Wait, hold on — note oddity: Andoni Iraola managing Liverpool? That seems inconsistent with reality but per instructions use only given facts.
The international break is winding down, with Liverpool.com and LiverpoolFC.com reporting that Alexis Mac Allister featured for 78 minutes as Argentina beat Benin in Lionel Messi's farewell appearance for the national side, a game that also divided opinion in the Argentine media (Liverpool.com) (LiverpoolFC.com) (Liverpool.com) (This Is Anfield). Elsewhere, Rio Ngumoha and Victor Munoz both came off the bench in Nations League action (Liverpool.com), while This Is Anfield's round-up of the break highlighted three injuries, three players reaching maximum minutes and five goals involving Liverpool players (This Is Anfield). Andy Robertson, now away from the club, was among several Scotland players who struggled in a home defeat to Slovenia (Liverpool.com).
Ahead of the Manchester City fixture, Liverpool.com reports Andoni Iraola is set to welcome back 18 players from international duty, with updates still awaited on Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Jeremy Jacquet (Liverpool.com). In the meantime, Iraola has called up youngsters for four days of what he described as "intense" first-team training (This Is Anfield). Jayden Danns remains unlikely to be an emergency option against City, with under-21s coach Rob Page explaining his current situation following the EFL Trophy defeat at Doncaster (Liverpool Echo) (This Is Anfield).
Manchester City's guilty verdict on financial rule breaches continues to generate reaction. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has given his prediction on how City's players might react if relegation is confirmed, and separately named what punishment he believes City should face as Liverpool and Everton await developments (Liverpool.com) (Liverpool Echo). Manchester City's Kyle Walker said the ruling "doesn't look great" but insisted "they can't take glory away" (This Is Anfield).
On Florian Wirtz, Liverpool.com reports Jurgen Klopp discussed giving the German international the ball often during the break, suggesting he remains a priority as Iraola continues shaping his approach (Liverpool.com). The Liverpool Echo adds that pundits Didi Hamann and Frank Lebouef have both commented on Wirtz's ongoing struggles at Anfield (Liverpool Echo).
Elsewhere, This Is Anfield reports Gilberto Mora's agent has declined to confirm a reported "historic" Liverpool bid (This Is Anfield). For fans wanting some downtime, LiverpoolFC.com has released a new book celebrating 100 Reds stars (LiverpoolFC.com), and This Is Anfield has a 14-clue Liverpool crossword to test your knowledge (This Is Anfield).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.