Chiesa and Endo Omitted from Liverpool's Champions League Squad
Federico Chiesa will watch the start of Liverpool’s Champions League campaign from the sidelines – and not just because he is injured.
The Italy forward has been left out of the Reds’ 25-man List A squad for the league phase of the competition, with manager Andoni Iraola also omitting Japan midfielder Wataru Endo from his main European group.
It is a familiar feeling for Chiesa. Last season, under former boss Arne Slot, he was initially excluded from the Champions League list before a serious knee injury to defender Giovanni Leoni in September opened a spot and forced a rethink. This time, there is no late reprieve yet, only the prospect that circumstances could change again if injuries strike.
Chiesa, 28, is currently sidelined but is expected to return to training during the international break later this month. Even when fit, his Liverpool career has yet to ignite. Since arriving from Juventus in August 2024, he has struggled to secure regular first-team minutes, and that fight for status has now spilled into Europe.
Endo’s omission tells a different story but stings just as much. The 33-year-old has been an unused substitute in both of Liverpool’s league fixtures so far this season. He has slipped down Iraola’s pecking order, and the manager has chosen to back youth in his place: 21-year-old James McConnell makes the Champions League cut instead.
The pressure on squad spots is intense. Clubs are allowed up to 25 List A players, with at least eight of those places reserved for homegrown or locally trained players. An unlimited number of List B youngsters can be added, but the senior list is unforgiving. Every name is a statement of trust.
Injured Trio Back in the Frame
While Chiesa and Endo miss out, three long-term absentees are very much part of Liverpool’s European plan.
Defenders Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley, along with striker Hugo Ekitike, have all been included in the Champions League squad despite still working their way back from serious injuries. It is a bold show of faith from Iraola.
Speaking before Friday night’s Premier League trip to Ipswich Town (20:00 BST), the Liverpool boss revealed that Leoni could rejoin training during the September international break. Bradley and Ekitike, he admitted, are further away from a return, but their presence on the list underlines how important the club believes they will be later in the campaign.
Liverpool’s European journey begins at Anfield against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, 9 September (20:00 BST). The stadium will be full, the anthem will roar, and Iraola’s choices will come under the harshest light of all: a Champions League night on Merseyside, with two seasoned internationals watching on and wondering how long that view from the outside will last.
