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Liverpool boss Arne Slot has explained why he has left Federico Chiesa out of his traveling party for tomorrow’s game against Galatasaray, with the winger carrying a knock after playing at the weekend.
Chiesa was expected to earn a spot on the plane to Turkey on Monday, having been added to Liverpool’s European squad last week. Giovanni Leoni’s ACL injury resulted in the Reds being able to replace the young defender, with Chiesa taking his fellow Italian’s place.
The 27-year-old had originally been left out of the squad for the league phase of the competition in favor of Rio Ngumoha, with teams ordinarily not able to make any changes before the knockout rounds.
But a new UEFA rule means any players with long-term injuries can be replaced, and with Leoni likely to miss the rest of the season, the door was opened for Chiesa.
Just hours before jetting off to Turkey though, Liverpool confirmed its 21-man squad to face Galatasaray, with Chiesa nowhere to be seen.
The former Juventus star trained as normal with his teammates on Monday morning, with reports suggesting the decision to leave him out had not been taken due to any injury.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference after arriving in Istanbul, Slot explained why he had decided to leave Chiesa behind, despite the winger scoring against Crystal Palace at the weekend, having also produced two assists against Southampton just days earlier.
"He got a little niggle in the last game against Palace," Slot said. "He tried it today, he was on the pitch at the beginning, but he couldn't end the session.
"We decided not to take him because in a few days it's Chelsea."
Without Chiesa, Liverpool will be aiming to bounce back from the weekend defeat at Selhurst Park and make it two wins out of two in Europe.
The Reds opened the league phase with a dramatic 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid at Anfield earlier this month, with Virgil van Dijk heading home the winner as Diego Simeone was sent off after clashing with supporters.
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