Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have been left out of Liverpool's Champions League squad
Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have been left out of Liverpool's Champions League squad
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Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have been left out of the 25-man Liverpool squad for the league phase of the Champions League. But Giovanni Leoni, Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitike have been included.
Liverpool kick-off their Champions League campaign when they welcome old foes Atletico Madrid to Anfield on Wednesday (8pm kick-off). And the Reds have now confirmed their squad for the league phase, which will also see them play LASK (away), Villarreal (home), Fenerbache (away), Club Brugge (away), Porto (home), Inter Milan (away) and Lens (home).
But forward Chiesa and midfielder Endo will not feature after being omitted from the squad Liverpool submitted to UEFA.
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It is the second year in a row that Chiesa, who is currently sidelined with an injury sustained in pre-season, has been left out of the Reds' squad for the league phase. However, the 28-year-old was drafted back in last season after Leoni suffered a devastating knee injury on his debut for the club in September of last year.
However, Leoni is expected to return to training over this month's international break, along with Chiesa, and looks set to play some part in the Reds' Champions League fixtures before the calendar year is out. The same, however, is unlikely to be said of Bradley and Ekitike, who are also recovering from serious, long-term injuries.
Northern Ireland head coach Michael O'Neill said of his captain Bradley yesterday: "Conor is where I expected him to be. I knew the injury was going to take longer than maybe some people were thinking.
"He's making good progress. It has to be managed very, very carefully, an injury of that nature. He's just become a dad as well so he's got other things to worry about as well, so congratulations to him.
"But Conor will be with us when he is ready and fit, and we'll be delighted to have him back."
Asked if Bradley may not be available for Northern Ireland again this year, O'Neill added: "I think I'm comfortable with that.
"If we see him this side of Christmas, it will be a real bonus but if not then we look forward to March (international games)."
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Bradley Barcola, the new signing of Liverpool, at AXA Training Center on August 30, 2026, in Kirkby, England.
Bradley Barcola, the new signing of Liverpool, at AXA Training Center on August 30, 2026, in Kirkby, England.(Getty Images)
Endo is now fit after a long-term lay-off of his own but, like Chiesa, misses out, with James McConnell instead making the cut.
Clubs competing in the Champions League are allowed to submit a squad of 25 List A players - the deadline for which was Wednesday - and an unlimited number of List B players. At least eight places in List A must be reserved for homegrown or 'locally trained' players.
The only deadline for the B list is that it must be sent to UEFA no later than 23:59 CET the day before a match. A player is eligible for the B list if they were born on or after January 1, 2005; have been eligible to play for the club for two consecutive years since their 15th birthday, or have been eligible to play for the club for three consecutive years, including a loan spell within the same association, since their 15th birthday. Players aged 16 may also be registered if they have been registered with the club for the previous two years without interruption.
The likes of Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni will therefore be among Liverpool's B List players.
Liverpool’s 25-man Champions League squad: 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.