Why Munoz’s Fitness Battle Is the Real Story Before Brighton

Liverpool head into Sunday’s trip to Brighton on the back of seven wins in nine games, a run capped by Tuesday’s chaotic 4-3 victory over Villarreal. Good form, though, has not stopped Andoni Iraola’s pre-match press conference being dominated by fitness updates rather than tactics, and one of those updates is more concerning than the rest.

A Squad Already Stretched Thin

Liverpool travel to the south coast without Dominik Szoboszlai, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni, five senior names already sidelined before a ball is kicked. That Liverpool have still managed seven wins in nine says plenty about the depth Iraola has built, but it also means every fresh knock lands with extra weight.

Munoz’s Status Still Up in the Air

Victor Munoz is the fresh concern. The forward missed the Villarreal win after picking up a problem in the victory over Brentford, a game in which he had scored a crucial late equaliser. Asked directly about it, Iraola was honest rather than reassuring, admitting the winger has been managing pain since that Brentford match and that he genuinely does not know whether Munoz will be ready in time for Sunday.

A Small Mercy Further Forward

There was at least one piece of better news. Bradley Barcola, whose own fitness had been quietly monitored after training away from the group earlier in the week, has trained fully with no setbacks and should be available for selection.

With Chelsea and Arsenal following close behind in the fixture list, Iraola will be desperate for Munoz to prove his fitness fears wrong sooner rather than later. Brighton, who have scored more goals than anyone else in the division this season, are an awkward enough fixture without a key attacking option touch and go until kickoff.