8 players poised to miss Ipswich vs Liverpool as Reds see treble boost for Premier League clash

Up to eight players combined could miss Ipswich Town's Premier League clash with Liverpool on Friday evening. The Reds will look to secure their first win of the season when they travel to Portman Road at 8pm.

Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw by Newcastle United at St James' Park in their opener last month, before running out against Nottingham Forest at Anfield to the same scoreline. As a result, Andoni Iraola's men sit 13th in the Premier League table, yet to really get going in the English top flight.

Ipswich, meanwhile, sit a place higher following a 2-1 win over Sunderland AFC in their own opening match of 2026/27. They will look to quickly forget last weekend's 5-2 rout from Manchester United, however, and build momentum as they look to survive their first season back among the elite.

That's no straightforward task, however, given the considerable gulf in quality between the Tractor Boys and the Reds, not to mention the injury concerns heading into the match. Ipswich will be without at least three first-team regulars for the game, with Gary O'Neill confirming that Jaden Philogene , Jack Taylor and Azor Matusiwa will all miss out.

Philogene is recovering from an ankle problem, and is anticipated to be sidelined for at least another week. The timescale for Taylor and Matusiwa is identical, as they continue their comebacks from respective knee and thigh injuries.

While Florentino Luis and Emersonn were both originally doubts for the fixture, O'Neill has since confirmed that both are in contention for selection. Ipswich aren't the only team carrying injuries heading into this weekend's clash, however.

Iraola appears to be without at least five players when the 8pm kick-off arrives, with several long-term absences to contend with. Hugo Ekitike remains in rehabilitation for an Achilles tendon rupture suffered in the Champions League earlier this year, and isn't anticipated to be back until the end of the year.

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Giovanni Leoni, meanwhile, hasn't featured competitively for the club since picking up an ACL injury on his debut 12 months ago. Iraola said of the centre-back: "I think the plan is also to start training during the [international] break, with the group."

Conor Bradley has also been managing a serious knee problem of his own since January, undergoing surgery and recuperating since. The Northern Irishman isn't expected to return until December at the earliest.

Joe Gomez also remains sidelined from first-team action due to a muscular injury, leaving Liverpool looking somewhat thin on the ground when it comes to centre-back cover. Iraola offered an update on the Englishman, saying: "Closest one is Joe, he will start training with us next week and it has gone normally.

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"The recovery from a muscle injury - more or less, we were expecting the time on this. I hope we can have him before the break, let's say."

Meanwhile, Federico Chiesa will also be absent from Friday's fixture owing to a lower back injury. The Italian forward is anticipated to make his return later this month, though the Ipswich clash has come just a touch too early for him to feature.

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