Liverpool head into a demanding stretch of fixtures with a lengthy injury list casting doubt over several key players ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash at Brentford, who sit fourth in the table and remain unbeaten in the top flight this season under manager Keith Andrews.

The west London trip kicks off a hectic run for the Reds, who will then face four consecutive home matches against Villarreal, Brighton, Chelsea and Arsenal. Manager Iraola will be hoping for fitness boosts before that gauntlet begins, though the picture remains uncertain for several frontline players.

Midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai missed Liverpool's recent Champions League trip to Austria against LASK after picking up a tight hamstring issue, which Iraola explained was caused by an overload that the Hungarian had attempted to play through in training. Alexis Mac Allister started and played the full match in Szoboszlai's absence, but with Ryan Gravenberch now suspended, Liverpool could badly use Szoboszlai's return against Brentford. Speaking ahead of that fixture, Iraola left the door open for his involvement: "We have to wait and see. I think it's still very early but the same way I said they are not available for the previous games, I leave the chance open this time, yes." Should he remain unavailable, 19-year-old Trey Nyoni is expected to continue in his place.

Record signing Alexander Isak is another doubt for the weekend. The striker played just once for Sweden during the international break before an early return to Merseyside, with national team boss Graham Potter citing a minor thigh problem. Isak sat out matches against both Manchester City and LASK, and his status for Brentford remains unresolved. If he cannot feature, 21-year-old Lewis Koumas is likely to lead the line again after scoring his first Champions League goal in midweek.

Cody Gakpo rounds out the trio of attacking doubts. The Dutch international suffered an ankle injury during the Netherlands' Nations League fixture against Serbia, forcing an early withdrawal and prompting his return to Liverpool for treatment. Like Szoboszlai and Isak, he has missed the last two matches, and it is unclear whether he will be fit enough to travel to Brentford.

Elsewhere, defender Giovanni Leoni continues his long road back from a serious knee injury. The centre-back tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on his Liverpool debut in the Carabao Cup last September, just weeks after his £26million move from Parma, and has been sidelined for 13 months. His planned return to full training during the recent international break has been pushed back. "It's taking more time than we wanted," Iraola admitted. "The planning was to train with the team in this past international break [but] probably it's going to be in the next international break, so we've lost one month in the process." He added that Leoni's injury involved more than just the ACL, saying, "a lot of things around the knee were involved," and stressed the need for caution in his rehabilitation. Leoni's return is now targeted for December.

Striker Hugo Ekitike, who ruptured his right Achilles tendon in April during Liverpool's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain, remains a long-term absentee. Despite being included in Liverpool's Champions League squad for the league phase, he is not expected back until January 2027, with Iraola hopeful he could feature in the final two group games against Inter Milan and Lens.

Right-back Conor Bradley, who suffered bone and ligament damage to his left knee during a goalless draw at Arsenal in January, is also still working his way back. Ronald Araujo has taken over as first-choice right-back following Bradley's absence, with Jeremie Frimpong yet to find consistent form. Iraola recently confirmed Bradley is not close to full training, though he has begun individual ball work, with a return projected for December.

Based on reporting from Standard Sport.