Liverpool have a bigger job on Sunday than they had in midweek. Beating Chelsea on penalties in the Carabao Cup got them through, but it solved nothing ahead of Arsenal’s visit to Anfield. This is the real test, and Andoni Iraola knows it.
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The immediate issue is team selection. Iraola rotated heavily against Chelsea, leaned on youth and got away with it. Against Arsenal, he will want certainty, experience and control. That brings the focus straight to Dominik Szoboszlai, whose fitness has become one of the key talking points ahead of this Premier League fixture.
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Szoboszlai has missed Liverpool’s last three matches after going off against Brentford. The problem has been a hamstring issue, one that has lingered since international duty across September and October. He also sat out the defeat to Manchester City and the Champions League win over LASK, then returned against Brentford and lasted only 30 minutes. That is not ideal management of a recurring muscle injury, and Liverpool will be careful now.
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Iraola’s most recent update was clear enough. “Dom is going to be out this weekend, I don’t think he is far [away from a return] but he has not trained with the group still and also considering that the other day we started him and he had to go out. He is in a good place, he is already training outside alone and is going to train with the group, but he is not ready for this one.”
The picture has shifted since then. Szoboszlai is back on the grass, and the expectation is that he is pushing to be available for Arsenal. There is still a difference between training and being ready to start, but this is heading in the right direction.
This matters because Szoboszlai is not some useful squad option. He was Liverpool’s Player of the Season in 2025/26, signed a new contract in the summer and has been made one of Iraola’s vice-captains. Across eight appearances in all competitions, he has scored three goals and remained central to how Liverpool play.
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Against Arsenal, that presence could be decisive. Liverpool need energy, pressing and verticality in midfield. Szoboszlai gives them all three. If he is fit enough, he changes the game. If he is not, Liverpool still have a problem to solve.
