Liverpool are about to debut their brand new €130m striker

Liverpool are almost certainly about to debut their new €130m striking option. We can't wait to see him in action.

Alexander Isak likely isn't ready to face Manchester City this Sunday. Or at least, he won't be 100 per cent ready.

The striker went off injured for Sweden during the international break and the injury was enough to rule him out of their final two weeks. Honestly, it would be incredible good fortune if Isak just happened to recover for Liverpool's meeting with City.

Andoni Iraola has made it clear that Isak's fitness is essentially a coin flip. He's not sure whether the Swede is ready to play and there are only a couple of days before the match.

“I think Alex Isak and Cody Gakpo both have had to leave the national teams with injuries,” he told a press conference.

“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.”

And that sets things up for Liverpool's new 'striker'.

A new Bradley Barcola

Bradley Barcola's versatility has already been on show at Anfield. Arguably his best performance yet came on the right against Atlético Madrid - a match he was brutally unfortunate not to score in.

And we think it might be time to show that versatility again. Barcola is primarily a left-sided winger, of course, but his ability to play across the forward line is one of the reasons Liverpool were able to justify the €130m fee for him this summer.

That includes being able to play through the middle and Isak's injury means we're eager to see Barcola there against City. Hugo Ekitiké remains injured, of course, and there aren't actually many experienced options beyond that.

Lewis Koumas can absolutely play a role against City - and potentially a key one - but Barcola is likely the strongest option in a counter-attacking setup. We do imagine that's how Liverpool will play.

The Frenchman could finally have his big moment in a Red shirt, then. Liverpool are still waiting for Barcola to show why he cost what he did and a demonstration of his quality and versatility in a match as big as Sunday's would do just that.