Federico Chiesa could make his Liverpool debut in the Champions League opener against AC Milan at San Siro this week.
Chiesa joined Liverpool from Juventus in the summer but hasn’t played competitive football since June. He wasn’t on the bench for the Forest defeat, with Arne Slot taking the cautious approach with him.
But he’s in the 23 squad for the midweek game in Milan where he could make his Liverpool debut in his home country. He won’t start due to lack of game time and strong competition up front, but fans will be keen to see the only summer signing on the pitch.
The Reds flew out of John Lennon Airport on Monday afternoon and will train at San Siro on Tuesday.
Liverpool’s 23 men squad for AC Milan – Champions League
Goalkeepers: Alisson Becker, Caoimhin Kelleher, Vitezslav Jaros.
Defenders: Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Andrew Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley.
Midfielders: Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones, Ryan Gravenberch, Tyler Morton.
Forwards: Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah, Federico Chiesa, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota.
First of eight for the Premier League side in the new Champions League format which runs until end of January.
Liverpool will face AC Milan, Bologna, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, Real Madrid, Girona, Lille and PSV Eindhoven. The club will play 8 games, but all 36 teams will be in one league table and top 24 go through to the knock out stages.
Top 8 get an automatic bye to the Round of 16 and will play 2 less games in total.
Arne Slot spoke about Federico Chiesa’s debut recently and said he could play against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Chiesa joined Liverpool in August after turning down a new contract with Juventus and beating Barcelona to his signature. He watched us beat Manchester United 3-0 but has yet to play a minute.
Before the Nottingham Forest game at Anfield, Slot said Chiesa had been training hard to get fit and had done three or four sessions and might play depending on his fitness and form.
Unfortunately Harvey Elliott has fractured his foot in training with the England Under 21’s which is a big blow for him and the club. Slot was disappointed but also saw it as an opportunity for others to step up in this busy period.
The Reds Champions League campaign for 2024/25 starts with a tough game against AC Milan, one of the club’s oldest rivals in the competition. Under the new single league format they look to finish in the top 8 to get direct qualification to the Round of 16.
Follow Us
