Barcola Awaits Debut as Liverpool Seeks First Win at Ipswich
Portman Road is not easing anyone into this Premier League season. Not Ipswich. Certainly not Andoni Iraola.
The promoted side have come flying out of the blocks, and on Friday night they welcome a Liverpool team that has yet to win a league game under their new manager. Two draws, plenty of questions, and now a trip to a ground that already feels awkward for visiting heavyweights.
A fast start for Ipswich – and a warning
Ipswich sit above Liverpool after two games, a small detail on the table but a sharp little reminder of how quickly momentum can shift in this league.
They opened with a 2-1 victory over Sunderland, a result that instantly settled any nerves about their return to the top flight. Then came Old Trafford. The Tractor Boys struck first against Manchester United, flashed their attacking intent, and for a while looked capable of something remarkable before being dragged into a 5-2 defeat.
The scoreline hurt. The performance did not.
Julio Enciso and Abdul Fatawu gave United’s defence problems and gave the rest of the division a glimpse of Ipswich’s edge in the final third. With that pair buzzing around the spaces, this is not a soft landing for anyone, let alone a Liverpool side still trying to absorb a new manager’s demands.
Ipswich’s line-up underlines their intent:
Scherpen; O’Shea, Diop, Greaves, Davis; Palacios, Lukic; Fatawu, Encisco, Maeda; Emersonn.
They are not at full strength. Jaden Philogene-Bidace is out with an ankle injury, Azor Matusiwa has a muscle problem, Jack Taylor has a knee issue, and Florentino Luis is a doubt. Emersonn, named to start up front, has been carrying a knee concern as well. Even so, Kieran McKenna’s side have already shown they can punch hard enough to make those absences feel like background noise.
Liverpool unbeaten, but unconvincing
Liverpool arrive with two 2-2 draws on the board, at Newcastle and at home to Nottingham Forest. On paper, unbeaten. On the pitch, not yet convincing.
Iraola’s Liverpool have flickered rather than roared. There have been spells of the high-tempo, aggressive football that defined his work in Spain, but not yet the sustained control or ruthlessness that supporters expect. The sense is of a team still stuck halfway through a tactical conversation.
Injuries have not helped. Hugo Ekitike remains out with an Achilles problem. Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley are sidelined with knee injuries. Joe Gomez misses out with a muscle issue and Federico Chiesa is absent due to a minor back problem.
So Iraola turns to a core that he trusts, and a shape that should be familiar enough to handle a chaotic evening in Suffolk:
Alisson; Jacquet, Araujo, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Munoz, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak.
It is a side with balance and plenty of invention between the lines. Florian Wirtz pulling strings, Cody Gakpo drifting into those awkward half-spaces, Alexander Isak leading the line. On paper, there is more than enough to overpower a newly promoted team.
But this is not just about names. It is about rhythm, and Liverpool have not quite found theirs.
The £123m question: when does Barcola enter?
Into this uncertainty steps Bradley Barcola, the £123m signing from Paris Saint-Germain. A statement fee, a summer-long saga, and now the first chance to see what he can bring to an evolving Liverpool attack.
Iraola has already made one thing clear: Barcola is ready to be involved, even if he is not fully match-hardened.
"It's a good question, it's a good question,” the Liverpool manager said when asked if the winger might start. “I see him in a good place. He has trained with us in three trainings. It's true that he hasn't had minutes in pre-season but he has been training normal with the group. Then it's a decision we have to make.
"I think he's in a good place but we also have to consider that he hasn't had the minutes in the pre-season games."
The decision, at least for tonight, leans towards caution. Barcola is named among the substitutes, his debut likely to come from the bench. He has not played a single minute of football since the World Cup, but his presence alone changes the mood around Liverpool’s attack. One sharp cameo could tilt the narrative of their season.
Portman Road under the lights
The stage suits the story. Friday night, first game of the Premier League weekend, Portman Road packed and loud. Ipswich, on three points from two matches, sense an opportunity to land another punch and climb further up the table. Liverpool, a point behind, know that anything less than victory will invite another round of scrutiny.
Kick-off is at 8pm, with the country watching to see whether Iraola’s ideas finally click into gear or whether Ipswich can turn early promise into something more substantial.
Liverpool are chasing their first league win. Ipswich are chasing another scalp. Barcola is waiting on the touchline, £123m of expectation ready to step into the noise.
