Chiesa and Endo Omitted from Liverpool's Champions League Squad
Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have both been omitted from Liverpool’s 25-man squad for the Champions League league phase, a bold early call from new boss Andoni Iraola.
Chiesa, 28, finds himself in a familiar position. Last season he was initially left off the European list by former manager Arne Slot, only to be drafted in later when defender Giovanni Leoni suffered a serious knee injury in September. This time, there is no late reprieve yet – only the hope of a return to full fitness.
The Italy forward is currently sidelined but is expected back in training during the international break later this month. Even when fit, though, he has struggled to carve out a regular role since arriving from Juventus in August 2024. The Champions League snub underlines just how far down the pecking order he has slipped.
Endo’s omission tells its own story. The 33-year-old Japan midfielder has not played a minute in Liverpool’s opening two league fixtures, named only as an unused substitute in both. Now he also drops out of the European picture, with 21-year-old James McConnell preferred in the List A squad.
That selection is a clear nod to the future. McConnell, who has been steadily pushing his way into first-team contention, now has a pathway into top-level European football, while a seasoned international in Endo watches from the sidelines.
Injured trio make the cut
If Chiesa and Endo are the headline absentees, the inclusion of three long-term injury victims is just as striking.
Defenders Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley, along with striker Hugo Ekitike, have all been named in the Champions League squad despite still working their way back to fitness. Liverpool are gambling on their recovery – and their potential impact – over the course of the group stage.
Speaking before Friday night’s Premier League game against Ipswich Town (20:00 BST), Iraola offered a small update. Leoni, who has been out since that serious knee injury last September, could rejoin training during the upcoming international break. Bradley and Ekitike, though, remain some distance from a return.
Even so, all three are in. Chiesa and Endo are not. The message is hard to miss.
European campaign looms
Liverpool begin their Champions League campaign at Anfield against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, 9 September (20:00 BST), a heavyweight opener that leaves little room for experimentation.
Under UEFA rules, clubs can register up to 25 players on List A, with an unlimited number on List B for younger, club-trained players. At least eight of the List A spots must be filled by homegrown or “locally trained” players, a requirement that always sharpens the final decisions.
Within that framework, Iraola has made his choices. He has backed youth in McConnell, bet on the recovery of Leoni, Bradley and Ekitike, and left two high-profile, experienced internationals on the outside looking in.
For Chiesa and Endo, the Champions League anthem will play without them. The question now is whether they can fight their way back into Iraola’s plans before Europe moves on without them entirely.
