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Dominik Szoboszlai will miss Liverpool's big Premier League clash at home to Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend (Image: Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)
Liverpool will look to make it four wins on the run in all competitions when they welcome fellow Premier League high-flyers Brighton & Hove Albion to Anfield on Sunday. But Andoni Iraola will once again be down to the bare bones for the visit of the third-placed Seagulls.
Despite an extensive injury list, the fifth-placed Reds have won back-to-back games in the Champions League either side of a hard-fought 2-1 triumph at Brentford that has left them fifth in the Premier League standings going into this weekend's intriguing encounter
But free-scoring Brighton could prove to be Liverpool's toughest test yet as their mammoth run of fixtures heading into the final international break of the year continues.
So how is head coach Iraola's squad shaping up? Let's take a look at the latest...
Iraola played down the seriousness of Szoboszlai's hamstring injury after the 3-0 loss to Manchester City that preceded the wins over LASK and Brentford. And that proved well founded with the midfielder returning in that latter fixture.
But after being restored to the starting line-up, the midfielder lasted just 32 minutes before being forced to come off and he subsequently missed the 4-3 Champions League victory at home to Villarreal on Tuesday.
And now his manager has confirmed Szoboszlai will not be fit to face the Seagulls. Iraola said: "Dom is going to be out this weekend. He hasn't trained with the group still.
"But Dom is in a good place. He's already training outside alone and he's going to train with the group, but he's not ready for this one."
Potential return date: Arsenal (H), November 1
Munoz missed out in midweek after picking up a knock in the comeback success at Brentford, which he started by equalising with a fine goal. And it appears the winger will not be fit in time to face Brighton either.
Iraola said: "Victor, he has the knock he received against Brentford (in the) first half. He could finish the game very well.
"But he's dealing with some pain since then and it was too early the other day against Villarreal. I don't know if he's going to arrive. I think it's going to be difficult but I really don't know."
Potential return date: Chelsea (H), October 28
Victor Munoz applauds the Liverpool supporters after his starring role in the win at Brentford - but it soon transpired he had picked up an injury in the match (Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
One winger who will be fit for Sunday is Barcola, who sparked concern when he was absent from training on Thursday.
But Iraola said at his press conference on Friday: "Bradley has trained today normally. He's fine with no problem.
"It was just a matter of sometimes you have to deal with the loads and we consider sometimes they have to stay inside. But he's fine."
Potential return date: Brighton (H), October 25
Iraola said after the win at Brentford that Szoboszlai and Frimpong would be out for "some time". But whereas the former's problem is an old one, the latter has sustained a new injury.
It leaves Frimpong, who has been beset by issues since his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen, facing a fresh spell on the sidelines.
Iraola, who is now without a senior fit and available right-back, said: “Jeremie was new. He finished the game cramping the other day. I put him in because playing against 10 I thought he would give us more going forward than Ronald (Araujo).
“After that, Victor (Munoz) was very good playing as a right-back. But it will mean we will lose Dom and Jeremie for some time.”
Potential return date: Unknown
Leoni's planned return after more than a year on the sidelines has been delayed - with the injury suffered by the centre-back more complicated than was initially reported.
The £26m arrival from Parma last summer has been absent since sustaining serious ACL damage when making his debut in the Carabao Cup win at home to Southampton in September 2025.
Leoni had been expected to have resumed full training with the first-team squad during the recent international break. But with Liverpool refusing to rush his recovery, he is now not anticipated to be back on the pitch with the main group until next month.
Potential return date: Porto (H), Wednesday, December 9
Liverpool unveil new signing Giovanni Leoni at AXA Training Centre on August 15, 2025 in Kirkby, England(Image: Nikki Dyer - LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
The second of Liverpool's three long-term injury victims, Ekitike has not played since rupturing his Achilles tendon against his former club Paris Saint-Germain in April. But according to L'Equipe, the hard work the striker is putting in behind the scenes could see him return to training next month.
And it is believed that Ekitike's long-term target has been to get back into action by Boxing Day, which given the serious nature of the injury he sustained, would be remarkably swift comeback.
The Frenchman was pictured at the club's training base recently undertaking some skipping exercises in the gym and Iraola said: "He is still doing very well according to the plan."
Potential return date: Hull City (A), Saturday, December 26
Iraola also confirmed that Bradley is further ahead than Ekitike and is closing in on a return to light training.
The right-back suffered an ACL injury back in January at Arsenal and his Northern Ireland manager, Michael O'Neill, also said last month that he didn't expect Bradley to be available for November's international matches.
And Iraola said: "Conor is not so far from training with the group – not like full training but doing some things with the group."
Potential return date: Unknown