Why is Ekitike in Liverpool's Champions league squad?

[BBC] Liverpool's inclusion of the injured Hugo Ekitike in their Champions League squad has been the subject of several questions sent in via our Ask Me Anything form for the Reds. Like Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley, there is hope that Ekitike will be on course to play a role later in the league phase of the Champions League. Ekitike's return date from the Achilles injury he sustained in April is unclear but the France forward is aiming to return to training before the end of the year. In the previous format of the Champions League, all six group games would usually be completed by the end of December, but this format sees teams play another two games in January. Liverpool travel to Inter Milan and welcome Lens to Anfield in the new year. Iraola was actually asked about Ekitike during his news conference on Friday, saying "It's difficult with these long-term injuries and I think he's still far [away from returning]. "We had a meeting with the medical department to analyse when we completed the [squad] list for the European games. There is a reasonable chance that he could help us in the last two games of the group stages. "It's still very early to say because it's a long-term injury and a big part of the rehab [he] is still to meet. "But we decided to put him there because there is a hope and a realistic chance that he could help us in January." Had he not been included in the original Champions League squad, Ekitike could have been added after the 36-team league phase. Clubs that qualify for the knockout rounds can register up to three new players before 5 February 2027 - though the overall limit of 25 players remains in place, as does the quota of eight locally trained players. Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions. We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do. Find out more here