Chiesa Left Out of Liverpool's Champions League Squad

Federico Chiesa will not be part of Liverpool’s 25-man squad for the Champions League league phase, with Wataru Endo also omitted as Andoni Iraola laid down his first major European marker at Anfield.

The Italy forward misses out for the second successive season. Under former boss Arne Slot, Chiesa was initially left off the list last year and only drafted in after Giovanni Leoni suffered a serious knee injury in September. This time, there is no late reprieve – at least not yet.

Chiesa, 28, is currently sidelined but is expected to return to training during the international break later this month. Even when fit, he has struggled to carve out a regular role since his move from Juventus in August 2024, his Liverpool career so far more stop-start cameo than headline act.

Endo’s exclusion tells its own story. The 33-year-old Japan midfielder has not played a minute in the league under Iraola, named only on the bench in both of Liverpool’s opening games. Now he finds himself outside the main European group as well, overtaken by 21-year-old James McConnell, who has been trusted with a place in the Champions League squad.

The decision underlines a shift in profile. McConnell’s inclusion points to fresher legs and a longer-term core, as Iraola blends a new-look midfield for the demands of domestic and European competition.

Injured trio backed for Europe

While Chiesa and Endo miss out, three long-term absentees do make the cut. Defenders Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley, along with striker Hugo Ekitike, have all been named in the Champions League squad despite ongoing recoveries from serious injuries.

Speaking before Friday night’s Premier League game against Ipswich Town (20:00 BST), Iraola offered a cautiously upbeat update. He said Leoni could rejoin training during the September international break, a significant step for a defender who has already seen one Champions League campaign reshaped by injury.

Bradley and Ekitike are not as close. Both remain some distance from a return to full training, but their inclusion signals Liverpool’s belief that they can contribute later in the group stage if rehabilitation goes to plan.

Squad rules and early test

Under Champions League regulations, clubs can register up to 25 players on List A, backed by an unlimited number of List B youngsters. At least eight of those List A slots must go to homegrown or locally trained players, a rule that always sharpens the edges of selection meetings at the top level.

Liverpool have now nailed theirs to the door, with Chiesa and Endo on the outside looking in as Europe’s spotlight looms.

The campaign begins under the Anfield lights against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, 9 September (20:00 BST). Iraola’s first European night in charge comes with a trimmed, carefully balanced squad.

The message is clear: places have to be earned. Who forces their way back into the picture by the time the knockout rounds come into view?