Liverpool Wins Champions League Opener Without Gakpo

Liverpool opened their Champions League league-phase campaign with a win over Atletico – but did it without one of their sharpest attacking weapons.

Cody Gakpo, who has exploded into the new season under Andoni Iraola, was nowhere to be seen in the matchday squad for the 2–1 victory. His absence raised eyebrows, not least because he had gone the full 90 minutes just days earlier.

The reason arrived soon after the final whistle.

Niggles at the worst possible time

Iraola revealed that Gakpo is battling issues in both adductors, picked up during his previous outing. Not a tear, not a clear-cut lay-off, but the kind of muscular discomfort that can turn a minor problem into a major one if pushed too far.

"He doesn't have a proper injury," Iraola explained on the club’s official channels, outlining how the forward finished that last game with niggles on both sides. Liverpool had expected him to be available for Atletico. By matchday, that hope had vanished.

The staff decided not to risk him at all. No bench role. No late cameo. Total rest.

From a medical standpoint, it is reassuring. This is not being framed as a long-term concern. From a football standpoint, it is a headache.

Liverpool now face a brutal turnaround, back at it in just two and a half days, with Fulham next on the schedule and selection dilemmas stacking up.

Blistering form put on pause

The timing could hardly be worse for a player in this kind of rhythm.

Gakpo has started the campaign on fire: one goal and three assists in his first three matches. He has been more than a contributor; he has been a catalyst. The Dutchman’s movement between the lines, his ability to link play and then explode into the box, has quickly become central to Iraola’s attacking blueprint.

His last domestic outing underlined that influence. Playing the full 90 minutes on Friday night, he pulled Ipswich Town apart, laying on two goals for Alexander Isak in a controlled 2-0 win. It was the sort of performance that suggested he was just getting started.

Now, the momentum stalls. Not broken, but checked.

Recovery race for Fulham

Iraola cut a realistic, if slightly frustrated, figure when asked about Gakpo’s chances of featuring against Fulham.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I hope so, but I don't know."

The honesty reflects the situation: this is a race against the clock, not a simple box-ticking exercise. Gakpo’s adductors need to settle. Liverpool’s schedule is not built for patience.

The coach made it clear the next 48 hours are all about recovery. Not just for Gakpo, but for a squad that has emptied the tank.

"I think now is a moment of recovery in these two days," Iraola said, pointing to the physical toll on players such as Bradley and the rest of his attacking options. If Gakpo cannot go, the responsibility shifts again to Rio, Victor and others who, as he noted, have already put in a huge effort.

The message inside the camp is simple: regroup, reset, go again.

Fine margins in a packed season

This is the modern elite schedule in microcosm. A Champions League opener against Atletico one night, a crucial league test against Fulham looming almost immediately after. Every niggle matters. Every decision to rest or risk a key player can shape a week, a month, sometimes a season.

Liverpool emerged from Europe with three points and without serious damage to Gakpo. On paper, that is a win. The real verdict arrives when Fulham walk out at the same ground in a matter of hours.

Will Iraola have his in-form forward back on the pitch, or watching from the sidelines as others carry the load?