Liverpool have left Wataru Endo and Federico Chiesa out of their squad for the Champions League league phase, while including three players who are currently injured.
According to journalist James Pearce, midfielder Endo and winger Chiesa will not feature in Liverpool’s European squad for the league-phase fixtures. However, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley have all been named despite their current injury problems.
Liverpool are expecting the injured trio to recover before the league phase comes to an end, allowing them to be available for at least part of the competition.
The decision means Liverpool’s Champions League selection contains places for Ekitike, Leoni and Bradley, even though none of the three is currently fully fit. Endo and Chiesa, by contrast, will not be eligible to represent the club in the league-phase matches.
Liverpool’s opponents in the competition will be Atletico de Madrid, LASK, Villarreal, Fenerbahce, Club Brugge, Porto, Inter Milan and Lens.
The matches are scheduled to take place between 9 September and 27 January. Each of those fixtures will form part of the league phase, with Liverpool set to face the eight clubs named in their draw.
The squad has been finalised ahead of the start of Liverpool’s European campaign, with the club having to make decisions on which players to include for the opening stage of the tournament.
Ekitike, Leoni and Bradley are therefore part of the group selected for the league phase, despite the fact that all three are currently injured. Their inclusion reflects Liverpool’s expectation that they will be able to return before the competition reaches its conclusion on 27 January.
Endo and Chiesa will not be involved in those Champions League fixtures after being omitted from the list. The absence of Chiesa is particularly notable within the attacking options named for the tournament, while Endo is the only midfielder specifically identified as missing from the European squad.
Liverpool reached the quarter-finals in the previous edition of the Champions League. Their campaign ended at that stage when they were beaten by Paris Saint-Germain.
The club will now begin this season’s league-phase schedule against a group of opponents that includes teams from Spain, Austria, France, Turkiye, Belgium, Portugal and Italy. Atletico de Madrid, Villarreal, Inter Milan and Lens provide the Spanish, Italian and French opposition, while LASK, Fenerbahce, Club Brugge and Porto complete the list.
The inclusion of three injured players gives Liverpool a potential route to using them later in the league phase, provided they recover as anticipated. Endo and Chiesa, however, will not be available for the matches covered by this squad submission.