Liverpool have sprung a surprise by leaving Federico Chiesa out of their squad for Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Galatasaray in Turkey.
The Italian international trained openly with his teammates on Monday at the AXA Training Centre but was not listed in the 21-man squad named by the club for their second group stage match.
Chiesa had only recently been added to Liverpool’s European roster after Giovanni Leoni’s long-term injury created an opening. He was originally excluded because of non-homegrown player restrictions.
The forward has made an instant impression since joining. He scored a late equaliser in the Premier League defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday and also registered two assists in the League Cup win over Southampton last week.
Arne Slot admitted last week that the club had worked on registering Chiesa.
“Yeah, we’ve looked into this,” he explained.
“I cannot tell you exactly where that process is at the moment. That is not something I do myself, there are other people doing this.
“But if I’m informed correctly, if a player has a longer than two-month injury, you are able to replace him. That’s what they’ve told me and now we have to see if it’s true or not, but other people are looking into that.”
Liverpool have instead included Hugo Ekitike, who missed the weekend’s league fixture through suspension. Youngster Rio Ngumoha is also involved alongside goalkeeper Freddie Woodman.
Teenage midfielder Trey Nyoni did not travel, with the expectation he will feature in the UEFA Youth League earlier on Tuesday.
The Merseyside outfit go into the contest fresh from a dramatic 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid on matchday one. Galatasaray, meanwhile, are still smarting from their heavy 5-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Liverpool squad v Galatasaray: Alisson, Gomez, Endo, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez, Wirtz, Szoboszlai, Isak, Mac Allister, Salah, Bradley, Jones, Gakpo, Ekitike, Mamardashvili, Robertson, Woodman, Frimpong, Gravenberch, Ngumoha.
Toosin is a dedicated sports writer with a strong background in crafting engaging and insightful content. With experience at Goal, he has developed a sharp editorial sense and a refined storytelling approach that brings depth and perspective to sports journalism. His passion for the game goes beyond the headlines, as he captures both the excitement of the sport and the compelling human narratives behind each event. Toosin’s work resonates with a broad and diverse audience, making global sports stories accessible, relatable, and impactful.
