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Liverpool cut two first-team players from their Champions League squad
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- Liverpool cut two first-team players from their Champions League squad
Liverpool cut two first-team players from their Champions League squad
Liverpool Champions League Squad Confirmed as Endo and Chiesa Miss Out
Liverpool have made their call on the Champions League squad and two senior players are out. Wataru Endo and Federico Chiesa have both been omitted from the club's List A submission, a clear sign of where they stand under Andoni Iraola.
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Neither player has managed to establish real momentum at Anfield. Endo has at least remained on the fringes and was part of the matchday squad for the recent 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest. Chiesa, meanwhile, has found minutes even harder to come by. Both stayed at the club after failing to secure moves during the main window, though exits to Turkey or Saudi Arabia remain possible while those markets are still open.
Liverpool squad decision shows Iraola priorities
There is no mystery here. Champions League places are limited and managers use them to define the pecking order. Iraola has done exactly that. Endo and Chiesa have been left behind, while others with uncertain fitness have been backed.
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Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni are all included despite injury concerns. That matters. It suggests Liverpool expect all three to contribute before the end of the calendar year, or at the very least believe they are closer to contention than the two players omitted.
Barcola included after major Liverpool transfer move
Liverpool were relatively restrained in the market by recent standards, but one deal dominated everything, Bradley Barcola arriving for £123 million from Paris Saint-Germain. He goes straight into the Champions League squad and straight into the spotlight.
Cody Gakpo is there too, after strong interest from Manchester City failed to produce a deal. Liverpool reportedly rejected a £80m offer and kept the Dutch forward, a decision that ended any need to push further for alternatives such as Ismaila Sarr or Yankuba Minteh.
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Champions League fixtures give Liverpool early test
The schedule is serious enough. Liverpool open the league phase at Anfield against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. Then come trips and tests against LASK, Fenerbahce, Club Brugge and Inter Milan, with home matches against Villarreal, FC Porto and Lens also to follow.
The Inter fixture carries an extra layer, with Curtis Jones now in Milan after his summer move. That reunion can wait. For now, the main point is simpler. Liverpool have named their Champions League squad, and Endo and Chiesa have been told, bluntly, that they are not part of it.
