Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has made a big decision with his squad ahead of the Reds’ trip to Galatasaray in the Champions League.
The Merseysiders trade Premier League duty for European commitments on Tuesday evening, looking to bounce back from the 2-1 defeat at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
There is some frustration among Liverpool’s fanbase currently, with the performances consistently flattering to deceive, and many new signings struggling to hit the ground running.
Victory away to Galatasaray would be a big step in the right direction, however, as the Reds look to keep up their winning start in the Champions League this season.
Giovanni Leoni’s recent season-ending knee injury has opened up a place in Liverpool’s European squad for Federico Chiesa, with some calling him to start on Tuesday after a goalscoring cameo at Palace.
Instead, it has been confirmed by James Pearce on X that the Italian has been left out of the matchday squad completely for the game.
#LFC’s 21-man squad for Galatasaray away: Alisson, Gomez, Endo, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez, Wirtz, Szoboszlai, Isak, Mac Allister, Salah, Bradley, Jones, Gakpo, Ekitike, Mamardashvili, Robertson, Woodman, Frimpong, Gravenberch, Ngumoha.
Despite his recent form, no room for Chiesa.
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) September 29, 2025
Has Chiesa been hard done by?
You have to feel for Chiesa, who has arguably been one of Liverpool’s most dangerous attacking players so far this season, scoring important goals against Bournemouth and Palace, and generally possessing plenty of threat.
The likes of Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo have struggled to hit top form, while Alexander Isak is still searching for full match fitness after his record move from Newcastle United.
For that reason, Chiesa has every right to feel hard done by heading into Tuesday’s game, especially considering plenty of supporters would have been happy for him to be in the starting lineup.
More: Jayden Danns also not involved having suffered a hamstring injury for #LFC U21s on Saturday.
Currently under assessment. Makes Chiesa's omission more significant as only five specialist forwards travel. https://t.co/KYxKgk2mbO
— Jack Lusby (@LusbyJack) September 29, 2025
It does appear as though Slot simply isn’t fully convinced by the winger as a player, hence giving him so few starts since signing him last year, but not having him in the squad at all for the Galatasaray games feels harsh on him,
Should Gakpo struggle in Turkey, however, Chiesa has to be looked at as a strong option away to Chelsea on Saturday evening, which already feels like a huge game even this early in the season, with Arsenal putting the pressure on in the Premier League title race.
