5 notable Champions League squad omissions as Liverpool, Real Madrid stars miss out… | OneFootball

Teams have submitted their squads to UEFA ahead of this season’s Champions League and, as per usual, there have been some notable omissions within them.

All 36 teams have submitted their 25-man squads ahead of the tournament beginning next week and the likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool have left some surprising names out.

Here are five of the biggest, which is sure to cause some disgruntlement.

Ferland Mendy

The £51.8m signing of Marc Cucurella looked an ominous sign for former first-choice left-back Ferland Mendy and his fears will not have been allayed by Jose Mourinho’s first Champions League squad since his return to the Spanish capital.

The Frenchman is currently injured but is expected to be back later this month, however, he will not be playing Champions League for the league phase at least, as he missed the 25-man cut for Madrid.

The fact he is injured is also negated by both Eder Militao and Rodrygo, who are also out, being picked, suggesting it was not just a fitness concern from Mourinho.

Federico Chiesa

The swap of Arne Slot to Andoni Iraola looked to be the last chance for Chiesa’s Liverpool career, but his omission from the Champions League squad suggests not much has changed.

The 28-year-old Italian is currently out with a muscle injury that he picked up in August but is expected to be back training during the international break this month.

However, his injury concerns as well as his bit-part role in the team were enough for Iraola to leave him out of the 25-man shortlist.

Wataru Endo

Chiesa is not the only notable Liverpool player to miss the cut, as Endo has also been left out.

The 33-year-old played just eight times last year and has made just 87 appearances for Liverpool despite joining in 2023.

Despite his lack of minutes, there was little talk of any clubs being interested in the summer and so he is likely to see out his contract which ends next summer.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis

Villa spent £25m to bring Harwood-Bellis to the club, which makes his omission from the Champions League squad a little surprising.

The young English centre-back was signed with the expected role of replacing Ezri Konsa but the Champions League omission may suggest Unai Emery has other plans.

Brian Madjo

Brian Madjo is another surprising Villa absentee from the Champions League squad.

He impressed against PSG in the Super Cup but also withdrew from the game due to an ankle injury.

However, Villa are seriously lacking up front and the teenager was expected to be fit again for the game against Nottingham Forest on September 12.

Madjo’s absence means Villa will be limited to Nicolas Jackson and Tammy Abraham as striking options in Europe for the league phase at least.