Andoni Iraola has revealed Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo are both doubtful for Liverpool's clash with Manchester City on Sunday due to injuries they sustained on international duty.

Having made an unbeaten start to Iraola's tenure, winning two and drawing three of their first five Premier League games of 2026-27, Liverpool face an enormous test this week.

Their first game after the extended international break is against a City side who boast the Premier League's only remaining 100% record, having won five from five under Enzo Maresca.

And the Reds could be without two of their most important attacking players at Anfield.

Isak, whose four goals in all competitions are the most of any Liverpool player this term, only appeared once for Sweden during the hiatus before withdrawing from their squad due to a thigh issue.

And Gakpo, whose six combined goal involvements (two goals, four assists) are more than any of his Liverpool team-mates have managed this season, appeared in two games for the Netherlands but took a knock in the second of those, against Serbia.  

Asked for updates on the duo during an interview with the club's website, Iraola said: "Alex Isak and Cody Gakpo both had to leave the national teams with injuries.

"Now it's a matter of if they are going to recover in time to help us in the next game or not. But right now, they are both injured."

Isak and Jacquet are up for @PFA Premier League Fans’ Player of the Month!  https://t.co/BTND5F775p

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 7, 2026

The away side has won two of the last three Premier League games between Liverpool and Man City, as many times as their previous 32 meetings. 

City triumphed 2-1 on Merseyside in February, but the only time there have been two consecutive away wins in the fixture in the Premier League was in 2002-03.

Sunday's clash will be the first between Liverpool and City without either Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola in the dugout since March 2015, when Brendan Rodgers' Reds beat Manuel Pellegrini's Citizens 2-1 at Anfield.

But given the flying start Maresca's men have made, Iraola is anticipating a real test of his team's progress.

"I think the goal is quite clear, everyone understands what we are trying to build. To try to be more intense, more vertical, but you also want to control the games," he said. 

"We've been unbeaten, but they've won all of their games, so that makes a big difference on their side. 

"I think we need to be very, very good if we want to beat City, because they've been scoring a lot of goals lately. We know the names that are very dangerous. 

"But I think also we've shown good defensive improvements lately, and I hope we can defend the threats that they have and also hurt them on the other side."