Liverpool have ruled Ryan Gravenberch out of their Champions League trip to Fenerbahce after confirming that the midfielder has a fracture of the heel. The club confirmed in an official statement on Tuesday, 3 November, that a heel injury means Gravenberch will not be part of the travelling squad for Wednesday's meeting in Istanbul, and that he will instead remain at the AXA Training Centre for treatment. Liverpool gave no return date, and head coach Andoni Iraola later described the injury as a day-to-day matter.
The problem did not arrive suddenly on the morning of the trip. Iraola explained at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday that Gravenberch had been carrying some discomfort, and that it showed itself before Liverpool's previous match, the 1-0 Premier League defeat by Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday, 1 November. The midfielder was warming up for that game and was not fully confident in the heel, Iraola said, and the injury has not improved since then.
The decision was confirmed when Liverpool's 22-man travelling squad departed John Lennon Airport for Istanbul on Tuesday morning without Gravenberch.
Liverpool's official injury update, published on the club's website on Tuesday morning, was short and specific. The club confirmed in an official statement that Gravenberch had been ruled out of the Fenerbahce fixture, that a heel injury was the reason he would not travel, and that he would stay at the AXA Training Centre for treatment. It set no timescale and named no match as a target for his return.
Iraola added the fracture detail on Tuesday, when asked whether Gravenberch could return for Sunday's Premier League trip to Crystal Palace. "I don't know, it's a day-to-day thing," he said. "It's a fracture of the heel. It's about the pain. He has been with some discomfort. The other day against Arsenal he was warming up and he was not fully confident. He hasn't improved since then. But it's going to be something that every day we ask him, every day we see how he is. If he can be available for the weekend, lovely, he would be a very good help for us. But I cannot tell you right now."
That answer should settle the question supporters are searching for. There is, as things stand, no confirmed return date for Gravenberch, and no confirmed ruling on the Crystal Palace game either. His availability for Sunday depends on how the heel responds in the coming days, not on a timetable Liverpool have shared. Any date circulating online that is not backed by a further official statement from Liverpool should be treated as unconfirmed.
The timing is awkward for Liverpool, even if the absence is only for one match. Their next fixture is the Champions League meeting with Fenerbahce on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, kick-off 17:45 UTC at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, and Liverpool go into it aiming to make it four wins in a row in the league phase. Gravenberch has been a regular presence in midfield, so losing him removes one of the players Iraola has relied on most. Follow the team news, score and lineups on the Fenerbahce vs Liverpool match page.
How Liverpool cover the absence is a question for the team sheet, but Iraola was asked on Tuesday whether Trey Nyoni could continue to feature in midfield after the 19-year-old started the Arsenal defeat. "He is playing most of the games – or even all the games lately – so we trust him," Iraola said. "He is doing very well and I think we have to encourage him to continue – to continue improving, continue learning, continue adding experience. He is in a very good place."
Gravenberch is not Liverpool's only absentee for the trip. The club's team news also listed Jeremie Frimpong as sidelined with a muscle issue, while Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni continue to recover from long-term injuries, and Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo were unavailable having not been named in the submitted squad for the league phase.
The next checkpoint is Sunday's Premier League trip to Crystal Palace on 8 November. Whether Gravenberch plays any part in it will be decided by the daily assessments Iraola described. If the heel improves through the week, he could yet be available.
The confirmed facts are the heel fracture, the missed trip to Fenerbahce, the treatment at the AXA Training Centre, and the day-to-day assessment. ScorePulse will update this story when Liverpool give their next official assessment of Gravenberch's injury.
Leipzig have won three of five in the Bundesliga and City three of five in the Premier League, but City arrive after back-to-back league defeats — form, numbers and kick-off time for Wednesday.
Udinese confirmed on 2 November that Runjaic had been sacked and Zanetti appointed head coach until 30 June 2027, after five points from 10 Serie A matches.
Bayern confirmed Saibari has had surgery on a torn ankle ligament and Gnabry has a hamstring injury, with no return date given for either player.
