Liverpool drop double injury hint as 17-year-old benefits from major squad decision

Liverpool have omitted two senior players from their Champions League squad.

The Reds kick off their European campaign when they travel to Napoli on Wednesday in Group A.

Jurgen Klopp's side reached the final of the prestigious competition last season but missed out on a seventh crown when beaten 1-0 by Real Madrid in Paris.

Still, Liverpool's record in the Champions League in recent years has been exceptional and they'll be hungry for more silverware.

However, if the Reds are to qualify for the knockout stages, they'll have to do it without Naby Keita or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Clubs are only allowed the register a maximum of 25 players on squad List A - and must include eight home-grown players.

With Liverpool having seven home-grown players, their squad has accordingly been reduced to 24 - and the senior duo have been omitted.

Keita hasn't played for Liverpool all season. The Guinea international was first ill before suffering a muscle injury.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, meanwhile, has been on the treatment table since the Reds' pre-season tour of the Far East. The midfielder sustained a hamstring problem in a friendly victory over Crystal Palace.

Liverpool's Champions League group-stage fixtures conclude on Tuesday 1 November before the season pauses on 12 November for the World Cup in Qatar.

Certainly, it hints that Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain will continue to be sidelined for a prolonged period and may not feature much before the World Cup.

Arthur Melo, who was signed on a season-long loan from Juventus on transfer deadline day, has been included in Liverpool's squad.

In addition, 17-year-old Stefan Bajectic - who made his Premier League debut in the 9-0 routing of Bournemouth - is named in the List A squad.

Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones are included on List B as they were born after 1 January 2000 and have been at Anfield for two years since the age of 15.

The likes of Luke Chambers, Isaac Mubaya and Harvey Hughes also fall into that category.

Squad

Goalkeepers

1 Alisson Becker

13 Adrián

62 Caoimhin Kelleher

Defenders

2 Joe Gomez

4 Virgil van Dijk

5 Ibrahima Konaté

21 Kostas Tsimikas

22 Calvin Ramsay

26 Andrew Robertson

32 Joël Matip

47 Nathaniel Phillips

66 Trent Alexander-Arnold

Midfielders

3 Fabinho

6 Thiago Alcántara

7 James Milner

14 Jordan Henderson

28 Fabio Carvalho

29 Arthur

43 Stefan Bajcetic

Forwards

9 Roberto Firmino

11 Mohamed Salah

20 Diogo Jota

23 Luis Díaz

27 Darwin Núñez

*Plus B List players