Liverpool may be forced to contend against Manchester without first-choice striker Alexander Isak.
The attacker was joined by Cody Gakpo in the treatment room during the international break, with the pair picking up issues while on duty with Sweden and the Netherlands, respectively.
🎙️ Andoni Iraola. #LFC
On Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo…
'Alex and Cody both have had to leave the national teams with injury. Now it's a matter of if they are going to recover in time to help us in the next game or not. But right now, they are both injured.'…
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) October 8, 2026
In the event the Swede is unavailable, Andoni Iraola will inevitably be forced to call upon the services of Lewis Koumas once more.
Lewis Koumas is enjoying life under Andoni Iraola
We’re big, big fans of what the Welshman brings to the side, having posted an outstanding display against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup.
That said, it would be incredibly naive of us to suggest that Liverpool going into the tie without Isak up front doesn’t harm us in any way.
It’s not Koumas’ fault, to be clear, but the fact of the matter is that both Gakpo and our 2025 summer signing have been the two most productive elements of our frontline in 2026/27, having formed a great relationship on the pitch.
To lose both players ahead of City’s visit on Sunday would be a cruel blow, particularly while the likes of Victor Munoz and Bradley Barcola are still adjusting to the rigours of English football.
We know Koumas will give everything for Liverpool against Man City
Again, we want to emphasise that we really like Lewis Koumas as a player, and the one positive we’ll get from the 21-year-old, if he’s called into action against Enzo Maresca’s men, is a near-perfect embodiment of what Iraola wants from his attackers on the pitch.
Intensity, intensity, intensity. Or, as Calum Scanlon put it (via BBC Sport): “If you look at his game, how he presses, his relentlessness. He’s always at it – that’s always been him. It comes as no surprise how he’s got in the [Wales] team.”
No argument from us there!
But if the goals are going to come from anywhere on the pitch, one of Barcola, Munoz or Rio Ngumoha will likely have to step up to preserve’s Liverpool’s output.
Because, like it or not, Koumas simply cannot be expected to offer the same penalty box threat as Alexander Isak.
Hopefully, it won’t come down to that, and Iraola will be able to call upon his No.9 for what could be an incredibly tough game. But we just can’t see Liverpool risking the Swedish international if his fitness is vaguely in doubt.
