Liverpool Attacker Ruled Out of World Cup Playoffs—Adding to Concerning Injury List

It’s not the only injury the stumbling Reds are having to deal with right now.

Arne Slot has depleted attacking options. | Liverpool FC/Getty Images

Liverpool winger Federico Chiesa has left Italy’s national team camp ahead of the must-win upcoming World Cup playoff against Northern Ireland because of injury.

Chiesa reported for Italy duty at the Federal Technical Center near Florence after coming off the bench for the final 13 minutes of Liverpool’s Premier League defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. But, following an assessment with medical staff, he was “deemed unavailable” to play.

With Liverpool also consulted, the decision was made to leave the camp, with Nicolò Cambiaghi from Bologna then immediately called up as a replacement.

Italy has to beat Northern Ireland in the playoff semifinal to have any chance of making it to the 2026 World Cup, with the winner to then face either Wales or Bosnia & Herzegovina in the Path A final. The Azzurri failed to qualify in 2018 and 2022 and is at genuine risk of missing a third straight World Cup, an unfathomable failure for the four-time champions.

The frustration for Chiesa is that, after another season on the fringes at Liverpool and seeing almost all of his limited minutes coming from the bench, this was his first Italy callup since Euro 2024. Now, having lost an opportunity to directly impress Italy manager Gennaro Gattuso, his chance of going to the World Cup—even if Italy do actually qualify—looks increasingly bleak.

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Liverpool Have Other Bigger Injury Concerns

Alisson is currently sidelined. | Alfie Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto/Getty Images

It remains to be seen how long Chiesa might be sidelined for. But, in truth, injuries to Alisson and Hugo Ekitiké are of greater concern to Liverpool right now.

Alisson last played in the Champions League win over Galatasaray last week before missing the Brighton match. Arne Slot didn’t give any timeframe on the goalkeeper’s recovery when asked about the situation after losing to the Seagulls, other than he will “definitely be out” this international break.

After pulling out of the Brazil squad, Alisson confirmed via a story he posted on Instagram that he expects to be “out of action for a while.”

Ekitiké appears to be less of a concern. The Frenchman, who found himself effectively replaced by Alexander Isak a matter of weeks after his own summer arrival, has been Liverpool’s chief source of goals this season—boasting 17 across all competitions.

His withdrawal after just eight minutes at the Amex Stadium was obviously worrying, but Slot said it was little more than a “dead leg” and that Ekitiké could play again straightaway “if he needed to.”

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Chiesa Absence Could Be a Chance for Liverpool’s New Star

Rio Ngumoha could benefit. | Liverpool FC/Getty Images

Since a decisive goal off the bench against Bournemouth on the opening weekend of the season back in August, Chiesa hasn’t exactly been getting a lot of minutes. His 32 appearances sound like a lot but total just 673 minutes—an average of 21 minutes each time he is on the pitch.

Depending on how long he’s out for, those extra opportunities could be funneled to Rio Ngumoha, who Slot described as having “few very nice actions” after coming on against Brighton.

Liverpool fans have wanted to see more of the exciting 17-year-old this season. Capable of playing on the right but predominantly a left winger, he’s made 21 senior appearances—including in each of the club’s last five Premier League matches.

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