Liverpool boss Arne Slot has explained why Federico Chiesa has not been named in the squad for their Champions League clash with Galatasaray.
The Reds head to Istanbul on Tuesday for their second group stage match, but Chiesa was left out of the travelling party despite recently being added to the UEFA list following Giovanni Leoni’s long-term knee injury. A new regulation allows clubs to replace an injured player before the end of matchweek six if they are ruled out for at least 60 days, which enabled Liverpool to register Chiesa.
The Italian forward had featured off the bench in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace, even getting on the scoresheet, so his omission raised eyebrows. Reports suggested it was a tactical decision, but Slot confirmed that Chiesa picked up a minor problem late in the Palace game.
“He got a little niggle in the last game,” Slot said. “He tried to train today but couldn’t finish the session, so we chose to leave him out because we have Chelsea coming up in just a few days.”
Chiesa, who endured a stop-start 2024/25 campaign and missed 14 matches with a muscle injury earlier in the season, is expected to be fit for the weekend. Despite making only six league appearances last term, he has already matched that tally in goals this season and is close to surpassing last year’s minutes.
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