Liverpool XI Welcomes Iraola Era at Anfield

Liverpool step out at Anfield for the first time in the 2026-27 season with a familiar sense of jeopardy hanging in the air. Nottingham Forest have won on their last two visits to this ground, and their new boss Oliver Glasner beat Liverpool twice last season while in charge of Crystal Palace.

The scars are fresh. The reset is real. And tonight, the Kop finally gets its first live look at Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool.

Injury Problems Shape Early-Season Selection

Iraola’s options are already being tested.

Joe Gomez remains sidelined as he works his way back from the hamstring injury that cut short his pre-season. In defence, Liverpool are also without Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley, both missing with long-term issues that strip away depth on the right and in central areas.

The problems don’t stop there. Hugo Ekitike is out until after Christmas with an achilles injury, removing one of the more intriguing attacking alternatives from Iraola’s early plans.

Federico Chiesa is still a doubt after missing the 2-2 draw at Newcastle United last week. Even if he proves his fitness, competition for a place in the matchday squad is intense, and there are no guarantees under a new head coach intent on setting standards from day one.

Harvey Elliott, meanwhile, will play no part. The midfielder is left out of the squad entirely as he edges closer to an exit, a significant call that underlines the scale of change underway.

Iraola’s First Anfield XI

The team sheet carries a clear message: energy, aggression, and technical quality through the spine.

Liverpool XI: Alisson; Frimpong, Jacquet, Van Dijk (C), Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Gakpo, Munoz, Isak.

On the bench, Iraola turns to a blend of experience and youth:

Substitutes: Mamardashvili, Araujo, Tsimikas, Endo, Gravenberch, Nyoni, McConnell, Koumas, Ngumoha.

Virgil van Dijk anchors the back line with the armband, flanked by new and returning faces, while a midfield trio of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz promises control and incision. Up front, Cody Gakpo, Munoz and Alexander Isak carry the responsibility of breaking a Forest hoodoo that has become far too familiar for this crowd.

Forest arrive with history and a head coach who knows how to hurt Liverpool. Iraola walks out at Anfield for the first time knowing that, for all the excitement around a new era, this fanbase expects those patterns to be broken – and fast.