Cody Gakpo's Absence in Liverpool's Champions League Win Against Atletico

Liverpool opened their Champions League league-phase campaign with a win over Atletico, but they did it without one of their most in-form players. Cody Gakpo never even made the bench.

The Dutch forward missed Tuesday’s key training session and was left out of the matchday squad entirely, a conspicuous absence given the way he has started the season under new boss Andoni Iraola.

After the 2–1 victory, Iraola explained that Gakpo had felt pain in both adductors following his previous 90-minute outing. The issue is not considered a major injury, yet the discomfort was strong enough to rule him out of contention.

“He doesn’t have a proper injury,” Iraola told the club’s official channels, “but he finished with niggles in both of the adductors the other day. We expected to have him for today, [but] it hasn’t been possible. It’s not a big thing, but the problem is we play here [again] in two days and a half.”

That schedule is the real enemy. Liverpool face Fulham at the same venue in just over 48 hours, and the tight turnaround has thrown Iraola’s selection plans into doubt.

“I don’t know [if he will be back for Fulham]. I hope so, but I don’t know,” he admitted.

The timing could hardly be worse for a player in such devastating form. Gakpo has exploded into the new campaign, with one goal and three assists in his first three matches. He has quickly become a central pillar of Iraola’s attacking structure, knitting moves together and hurting defences with his movement and final ball.

His last league outing underlined that influence. On Friday night he went the distance, playing the full 90 minutes and running the game as Liverpool eased past Ipswich Town 2-0. Gakpo set up Alexander Isak twice, a pair of precise contributions that sealed a comfortable victory and showcased their growing understanding.

Those exertions have come at a cost. With the fixtures piling up, Iraola is acutely aware of the physical strain on his squad.

“I think now is a moment of recovery in these two days,” he said. “Let’s see how Bradley has finished, how Cody is [and] if he can give us some minutes. If not, Rio, Victor, I think today everyone has done a big effort.”

The message is clear: rotate if you can, squeeze minutes if you must. Fulham arrive next, and Liverpool cannot afford to drift after such a positive start to the season.

“We need to recover, we need to regroup and think because in two days and a half we play again here [against] Fulham, it’s a very important game again for us,” Iraola added. “So, I hope we can have Cody with us, but I cannot guarantee it.”

Liverpool’s European opener ended with three points but one nagging question: can their new talisman shake off those adductor niggles in time to keep this early surge rolling?