Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have both been left out of Liverpool’s 25-man squad for this season’s league phase of the Champions League.However, Giovanni Leoni, Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitike have been included as they work their way back to fitness following long-term injuries.Italian forward Chiesa has missed the opening two Premier League games of the season due to a muscle injury and finds himself down the pecking order following the summer signings of wingers Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz.Endo, who has been an unused substitute against both Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, misses out, with James McConnell, 22, preferred among the midfielders.Fellow academy graduates Luke Chambers and Isaac Mabaya are named among 11 defenders on the list.The inclusion of Leoni, Bradley and Ekitike is welcome, with the trio all on course to be fit to play a role later in the league phase.Head coach Andoni Iraola expects Italian centre-back Leoni to resume training later this month after nearly a year out with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.Northern Ireland right-back Bradley hasn’t featured since suffering a serious knee injury against Arsenal in January, while Ekitike ruptured his Achilles against Paris Saint-Germain in April. The French striker was Liverpool’s 17-goal top scorer last season.Under UEFA rules, the 25 players named in List A has to include a minimum of eight ‘locally trained’ squad members. Youngsters such as Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni aren’t among them as they can be named on List B given their age.Liverpool’s open their Champions League campaign against Atletico Madrid at Anfield next Wednesday night.Liverpool’s 25-man squad: Alisson, Mamardashvili, Woodman, Jaros; Gomez, Van Dijk, Jacquet, Kerkez, Bradley, Leoni, Tsimikas, Frimpong, Araujo, Chambers, Mabaya; Wirtz, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Munoz, Gravenberch, McConnell; Isak, Gakpo, Ekitike, Barcola.‘Deja vu for Chiesa’AnalysisThere will be a sense of deja vu for Federico Chiesa.Last September he was left out of Liverpool’s Champions League squad by Arne Slot. It was only after Giovanni Leoni tore his ACL a few weeks later that Chiesa was drafted in as a replacement.Given the firepower available to Andoni Iraola and the need to satisfy UEFA rules regarding homegrown players, it’s hardly a surprise that Chiesa hasn’t made the cut again.There had been an expectation that his two-year stay at Anfield would end this summer after just five starts in all competitions in 2025-26, but he didn’t push for a move and Liverpool didn’t receive any enticing offers.Alexander Isak, Bradley Barcola, Victor Munoz, Rio Ngumoha, Cody Gakpo and Lewis Koumas are all ahead of Chiesa when it comes to securing game time in Iraola’s frontline. Hugo Ekitike will also join that list when he’s back fit.Leaving out Japan midfielder Wataru Endo, who is expected to move on when his current deal expires next summer, is more of a gamble, but that’s been influenced by the need to find room for eight ‘locally trained’ squad members.With Florian Wirtz earmarked for the No 10 role, Iraola will be confident he still has plenty of options to fill the two midfield spots behind the Germany international. As well as Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister, he has youngsters James McConnell and Trey Nyoni at his disposal.