Liverpool Champions League Squad: Chiesa and Endo Omitted
Liverpool’s first Champions League squad under Andoni Iraola has its headline before a ball is kicked: no Federico Chiesa, no Wataru Endo.
The Italian forward and the Japan midfielder have both been left out of the Reds’ 25-man List A group for the league phase, a bold early marker from the new manager ahead of a campaign that starts against Atletico Madrid at Anfield on 9 September.
Chiesa Left Watching Again
For Chiesa, the omission has a familiar sting.
He was initially excluded from the competition’s squad last season under Arne Slot and only found a way in when Giovanni Leoni’s serious knee injury opened up a space in September. This time, there is no late reprieve yet, only the hope of fitness and form.
Chiesa, 28, is currently sidelined but expected to return to training during the upcoming international break later this month. Even when fit, though, he has never truly settled on Merseyside. Since his arrival from Juventus in August 2024, first-team minutes have been scarce, flashes of talent buried beneath a crowded attacking line and constant reshuffling.
Now he faces another Champions League campaign that begins without his name on the main list.
Endo Overlooked as McConnell Steps Up
Endo’s situation is different, but the conclusion is the same.
The 33-year-old has been on the bench for both of Liverpool’s league fixtures this season without getting on the pitch. Iraola has turned elsewhere again, this time for Europe, opting to include 21-year-old James McConnell ahead of the experienced Japan international.
It is a clear signal of where the manager sees the midfield evolving. McConnell’s promotion into the Champions League squad underlines the club’s willingness to back youth in high-stakes competition, even if it means leaving a seasoned operator like Endo on the outside.
Injured Trio Back in the Picture
While Chiesa and Endo miss out, three long-term absentees are in.
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 from serious injuries.
Speaking before Friday night’s Premier League meeting with Ipswich Town, Iraola offered a cautiously optimistic update. He suggested Leoni could return to training during the September international break, a significant step for a player whose knee injury reshaped Liverpool’s European plans last season.
Bradley and Ekitike, he admitted, are further from a comeback. Their inclusion, though, hints at Liverpool’s belief that both can influence the latter stages of the group phase, and possibly beyond.
Numbers, Rules and the Battle for Places
The Champions League rules are unforgiving for fringe players. Clubs can name up to 25 List A players, but within that group at least eight spots must go to homegrown or “locally trained” players. List B offers unlimited space for younger options, yet it is List A that defines who the manager truly trusts for the core of the campaign.
Within that tight framework, Iraola has made his choices. Youth over experience in midfield. Faith in injured defenders and a striker still on the road back. And no room, for now, for a high-profile forward still trying to find his place, or for a veteran midfielder watching his role shrink.
Liverpool will walk out to face Atletico with Anfield in full voice and the lights blazing. The question is simple: when the knockout places are on the line, will Chiesa or Endo have forced their way back into that conversation, or has this squad list already drawn a line under their European season?
