Two key players missing as Liverpool announce 21-man squad for away match against Galatasaray in UCL Round of 16 Leg 1.
On 9 March 2026, Liverpool, currently 6th in the English Premier League, announced their 21-player squad traveling to face Galatasaray, leaders of the Turkish league, in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg match on Tuesday, 10 March.
It emerged that Liverpool’s first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker was mysteriously absent from the squad, despite footage showing him reporting for training at the club’s facility. Instead, 18-year-old Polish goalkeeper Cornel Miszur was named.
Meanwhile, Italian international forward Federico Chiesa was also not included in the traveling squad. Manager Arne Slot named two young players, defender Amara Nallo and midfielder Kieran Morrison, to replace them for the Galatasaray clash.
Consequently, Liverpool will be missing seven first-team players: Alexander Isak, Conor Bradley, Wataru Endo, Alisson Becker, Federico Chiesa, Giovanni Leoni, and Stefan Bajcetic.
Goalkeepers: Giorgi Mamardashvili, Freddy Woodman, Cornel Miszur.
Defenders: Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Ibrahima Konaté, Joe Gomez, Milos Kerkez, Jeremy Frimpong, Amara Nallo.
Midfielders: Alexis Mac Allister, Florian Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Ryan Gravenberch, Trey Neoni, Kieran Morrison.
Forwards: Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike, Cody Gakpo, Rio Nkumuha.
The UEFA Champions League 2025-26 Round of 16 first leg between Galatasaray and Liverpool will be played on Tuesday, 10 March (early morning 11 March) at 03:00 Thai time. The two teams previously met in the league phase second leg, where Galatasaray won 1-0.
