Liverpool Lunchtime Round-Up, Saturday 10th October 2026: Iraola Challenges Squad as Injuries Hit Huge Man City Clash

Andoni Iraola has urged his squad to step up ahead of Sunday's huge Premier League clash with Manchester City at Anfield, with Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak both sidelined through injury (Liverpool.com). It's reported that both Liverpool and City will be missing eight players apiece for the fixture, with several key men absent from training this week (Liverpool.com) (Liverpool Echo). LiverpoolFC.com have also published the official team news build-up for the game (LiverpoolFC.com).

Bradley Barcola has been speaking ahead of the match, dismissing doubts over his finishing by saying "I don't care" (This Is Anfield), while also explaining why he has been suffering cramps since his move to Liverpool (This Is Anfield). The forward touched on his adaptation to the Premier League, the test posed by Man City, and praised Iraola's "intensity" in an interview with LiverpoolFC.com (LiverpoolFC.com), and has also dropped a selection hint while admitting life at Liverpool feels "very different" (Liverpool Echo).

There's plenty of talk around Manchester City's guilty verdict on financial misconduct charges. Liverpool icon Phil Thompson has called for a "severe" punishment to be handed down (Liverpool.com), while Iraola himself wants the case to be resolved quickly after reports that City held settlement talks with the Premier League (Liverpool.com). Jamie Carragher has given his reality check on the Man City clash while dismissing hopes of a harsh punishment (Liverpool Echo), and separately said something "doesn't feel right" about the situation as he issued a warning to City's owners (Liverpool Echo). This Is Anfield also round up what 14 other managers have said on the Man City situation (This Is Anfield).

Elsewhere, former Reds midfielder Thiago has sent a classy message about Iraola's qualities as a coach (Liverpool.com), and Iraola has introduced a new training ground rule involving padel and golf at the AXA Training Centre (This Is Anfield). Kylian Mbappe has again been linked with a possible move to Liverpool amid reports he is unhappy at Real Madrid (Liverpool.com). Fans heading to Anfield should also note a partial closure at Sandhills station (LiverpoolFC.com).

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.