Liverpool Lunchtime Round-Up, Friday 23rd October 2026: Iraola Braces for Brighton with Up to Six Stars Sidelined
Good afternoon Reds. Plenty to get through before Sunday's visit of Brighton to Anfield, starting with team news - Andoni Iraola could reportedly be without as many as six players for the game, with Dominik Szoboszlai among those whose return dates are being monitored (Liverpool.com). Victor Munoz's fitness was also expected to be discussed as Iraola fronted the press on Friday afternoon (Liverpool Echo). Despite the selection headache, Alan Shearer has backed a "phenomenal" Liverpool player to keep his place in the starting eleven (Liverpool.com), while Chris Sutton has given his prediction for the clash as Liverpool look to end a six-month wait for a particular result (Liverpool.com).
Brighton themselves rested eight players in midweek but were held to a draw in the Czech Republic ahead of the trip to Merseyside. There's also been a rather unwelcome blast from the past, with Liverpool Echo reporting that the referee appointed for the match has previous involving a confirmed error against the Reds (Liverpool Echo) (Liverpool.com). On top of that, This Is Anfield reports the fixture itself could be in doubt because of stormy weather forecast for the weekend (This Is Anfield).
On the transfer front, This Is Anfield reports Liverpool have made contact over a possible move for midfielder Felix Nmecha as part of a search for fresh options in that area of the pitch (This Is Anfield). Elsewhere, Harvey Elliott's loan spell at Valencia continues to be closely monitored by Liverpool, with the midfielder still trying to force his way into the side and having been challenged to "step up" during his time in Spain (Liverpool.com) (This Is Anfield).
Away from Anfield, Jamie Carragher has used Liverpool as a reference point while discussing what Arsenal need to do under Mikel Arteta to kick on as a top side (Liverpool.com). There's also been talk of Florian Wirtz's long-term role at the club, with a former player weighing in on the debate over whether he should stay or move on (Liverpool.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.
