Liverpool left Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo out of their 25-man Champions League squad for the league phase, while including recovering long-term injured players Giovanni Leoni, Conor Bradley, and Hugo Ekitike ahead of their opening match against Atletico Madrid.
Liverpool confirmed their 25-man List A squad for the upcoming league phase of the Champions League, delivering a familiar setback to Italian forward Federico Chiesa. The club also omitted Japan midfielder Wataru Endo, navigating a delicate balance between squad depth, player fitness, and strict UEFA regulations concerning locally trained players.
Squad Omissions for Chiesa and Endo
For Chiesa, the exclusion marks an unwelcome repeat of last season’s European campaign. Initially left out under former boss Arne Slot, the 28-year-old only gained entry after defender Giovanni Leoni suffered a long-term knee injury in September. Chiesa has struggled for first-team football at Liverpool since joining from Juventus in August 2024. He has missed the opening two Premier League games of the season due to a muscle injury and is currently out injured, though he is expected to return to training during the international break later this month. Fierce competition in the frontline under head coach Andoni Iraola left him down the pecking order.
Summer signings of wingers Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz, alongside Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, stand ahead of Chiesa when it comes to securing game time in Iraola’s frontline. Lewis Koumas and Rio Ngumoha are also ahead of him. According to the outlet, there had been an expectation that his two-year stay at Anfield would end this summer after just five starts in all competitions in 2025-26, but he didn’t push for a move and Liverpool didn’t receive any enticing offers.
Midfielder Wataru Endo also missed the cut. The 33-year-old has been an unused substitute for manager Andoni Iraola’s side against both Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest in their two league games so far this season, with 22-year-old James McConnell preferred among the midfielders. Endo is expected to move on when his current deal expires next summer. His omission is more of a gamble, but that’s been influenced by the need to find room for eight ‘locally trained’ squad members to satisfy UEFA rules regarding homegrown players.
Long-Term Injured Players Make the Cut
Despite ongoing rehabilitation, Leoni, Bradley, and Ekitike all secured their places in the 25-man European roster as they work their way back to fitness following long-term injuries. The inclusion of Leoni, Bradley and Ekitike is welcome, with the trio all on course to be fit to play a role later in the league phase. In his news conference prior to the Premier League game against Ipswich Town on Friday (20:00 BST), Reds boss Iraola said Italian centre-back Leoni could return to training during the September international break after nearly a year out with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Northern Ireland right-back Bradley hasn’t featured since suffering a serious knee injury against Arsenal in January, while French striker Ekitike ruptured his Achilles against Paris Saint-Germain in April. Bradley and Ekitike were further away from comebacks. Ekitike was Liverpool’s 17-goal top scorer last season, and will join the list of forward options when he’s back fit.
Under UEFA rules, the 25 players named in List A has to include a minimum of eight ‘locally trained’ squad members, with at least eight places in List A reserved for homegrown or ‘locally trained’ players. Fellow academy graduates Luke Chambers and Isaac Mabaya are named among 11 defenders on the list. Youngsters such as Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni aren’t among them as they can be named on an unlimited number of List B players given their age.
Midfield Depth and European Opening Fixture
With Florian Wirtz earmarked for the No 10 role, Iraola will be confident he still has plenty of options to fill the two midfield spots behind the Germany international. As well as Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister, he has youngsters James McConnell and Trey Nyoni at his disposal. Liverpool open their Champions League campaign with a home game against Atletico Madrid at Anfield on Wednesday, 9 September (20:00 BST), listed as next Wednesday night.
Liverpool’s 25-man squad features: Alisson, Mamardashvili, Woodman, Jaros; Gomez, Van Dijk, Jacquet, Kerkez, Bradley, Leoni, Tsimikas, Frimpong, Araujo, Chambers, Mabaya; Wirtz, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Munoz, Gravenberch, McConnell; Isak, Gakpo, Ekitike, Barcola.
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