Bradley Barcola

Barcola went down holding his left calf and was substituted in the 60th minute of Wednesday's Champions League win over Atletico Madrid, though coach Andoni Iraola played down any concern after the match, per Dave Ockop. "It was just cramps, especially with Bradley. We are kind of rushing him a little bit. We wanted him there, but at the end we decided to say give us what you have then that's the most he has. Let's see how they recover for the next one."

Analysis: Barcola's early exit was limited to cramps after he made his first start for Liverpool, with coach Andoni Iraola indicating there was no major concern and that the winger was being pushed a little after returning to action. He was able to give the team as much as he had before being withdrawn, and his recovery will now be monitored ahead of the next match to determine whether he can handle another workload, though the three-day gap between matches could make another start difficult for Barcola. Victor Munoz, Rio Ngumoha and Jeremie Frimpong could cover on the wings if he is unable to start, with Cody Gakpo (groin) also a doubt for the game.

Sep 9, 2026

Withdrawn with injury Wednesday

Barcola went off with an apparent calf injury during his first start for Liverpool in Wednesday's Champions League meeting with Atletico Madrid.

Analysis: Barcola's setback came during his first start for Liverpool, just over a week after his move from Paris Saint-Germain and only his second appearance for the club after a substitute outing at Ipswich. coach Andoni Iraola had already indicated before the match that the winger had not accumulated many pre-season minutes and was unlikely to complete the 90, making the calf issue a concern given his limited match conditioning. The one encouraging sign is that he walked off under his own power, which leaves cramp or a minor strain as plausible outcomes.