Chiesa and Endo Omitted from Liverpool's Champions League Squad

Liverpool have drawn their Champions League battle lines, and two big names are on the wrong side of them.

Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have both been left out of the 25-man List A squad for the league phase of Europe’s premier competition, a blunt early statement from Andoni Iraola about where the pecking order now lies at Anfield.

Chiesa, 28, arrived from Juventus in August 2024 with the weight of a marquee signing and the reputation to match. The impact has not followed. Injuries and form have clipped his wings, and his struggle for regular minutes continues with this latest setback. He is currently sidelined but expected to return to training during the international break later this month, a timeline that makes his omission all the more stark.

This is not the first time the Italy forward has found himself watching the Champions League from a distance. Under former boss Arne Slot last season, he was also initially left out of the European squad and only drafted in after Giovanni Leoni suffered a long-term knee injury in September. History is repeating itself, but this time with a new manager and a new hierarchy.

Endo’s exclusion carries a different tone but sends a similar message. At 33, the Japan midfielder has been an unused substitute in both of Liverpool’s league games so far this season. Now he misses out on Europe as well, edged aside as Iraola leans towards youth and mobility in midfield. One of the beneficiaries is 21-year-old James McConnell, who does make the cut and now finds the Champions League stage opening up in front of him.

Injured Trio Backed for Europe

If Chiesa and Endo are the headline omissions, the inclusions tell their own story.

Defenders Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley, along with striker Hugo Ekitike, all make the Champions League squad despite still working their way back from long-term injuries. Liverpool are clearly betting on their return shaping the campaign rather than watching it from the treatment room.

Speaking before Friday night’s Premier League trip to Ipswich Town (20:00 BST), Iraola outlined the recovery picture. Leoni, who suffered that serious knee injury last September, could be back in training during the upcoming international break. Bradley and Ekitike, though, remain some distance from a full comeback, their timelines stretching further into the autumn.

Their inclusion is a calculated gamble. List A spots are precious: clubs can name up to 25 players, and at least eight of those must be homegrown or locally trained. Every place carries weight. Liverpool have chosen to reserve them for players they believe can influence the latter stages of the group phase and beyond, even if they are not yet ready for the opening fixtures.

Atletico Await as Iraola Sets His Tone

Liverpool’s Champions League campaign begins under the Anfield lights against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, 9 September (20:00 BST). It is a fixture loaded with history and tension, and Iraola will go into it with a squad that underlines his readiness to be ruthless.

The framework is clear: 25 in List A, with those homegrown quotas shaping selection, and an unlimited number of List B players available for younger, club-trained options. Within that structure, every omission is a judgment call.

For Chiesa, it is another jolt in a Liverpool career that has yet to ignite. For Endo, it is a sharp reminder of how quickly roles can shrink when a new manager redraws the map.

For McConnell, Leoni, Bradley and Ekitike, it is something else entirely.

A door opening. A European season waiting to be claimed.