Liverpool will be a man down when they compete in the Champions League knockout stages as Arne Slot continues to battle with injuries to several players
Fasika Zelealem Senior Sports Reporter
14:55, 21 Feb 2026Updated 14:55, 21 Feb 2026
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 11: Wataru Endo of Liverpool receives medical treatment during the Premier League match between Sunderland and Liverpool at Stadium of Light on February 11, 2026 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Liverpool will be without Wataru Endo for the foreseeable future(Image: Getty Images)
Wataru Endo's injury against Sunderland is set to hamper Liverpool's Champions League campaign.
The Japan captain was stretchered off in the Reds' 1-0 win over Sunderland earlier this month after starting the game at right-back. While initially playing on after suffering the injury, Endo fell to the floor in agony and was soon carried off the pitch.
Days after the injury, Arne Slot confirmed that the 32-year-old suffered a "serious" injury and revealed he expects the midfielder to be unavailable for the long-term. The Dutchman said: "I assume he will be out for a long, long time. What is long, it is difficult to say at this moment but you can hardly believe what this right full-back position brings us this season."
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Not only does Endo's injury continue the bad luck they've had at right-back with Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong both out injured, but it leaves them without an experienced player capable of performing in defence and midfield.
As if the Japanese star's absence isn't enough to harm Liverpool, the club won't be able to replace him in their Champions League squad due to a specific UEFA rule.
While UEFA rule 31.14.c allows a maximum of one outfield player to be replaced should they be struck by long-term injury or illness, it only applies to the first six games of the league phase, which ended in December.
Liverpool's Japanese midfielder #03 Wataru Endo lays on the pitch injured during the English Premier League football match between Sunderland and Liverpool at The Stadium of Light in Sunderland in north east England on February 11, 2026. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /
Wataru Endo suffered a "serious" injury against Sunderland(Image: Getty Images)
With Liverpool now in the knockout stages of the competition, with the last-16 tie set to commence next month, Slot can only add to his European squad with players via the B list, with no senior player able to be selected.
As per UEFA’s official handbook: "A player may be registered on List B if he is born on or after January 1, 2004 and has, since his 15th birthday, been eligible to play for the club concerned for any uninterrupted period of two years, or a total of three consecutive years with a maximum of one loan period to a club from the same association for a period not longer than one year."
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The Reds now have just 19 senior players for the remainder their European campaign. The draw for the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals will commence on Friday, February 27 at 7:30AM in the UK.
As Liverpool finished in the top eight of the group, they head directly to the knockout stages where they can potentially face Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray or Juventus.