Teams have submitted their squads to UEFA ahead of this season’s Champions League and, as usual, there have been some notable omissions.

All 36 clubs have named their 25-man squads before the tournament gets under way next week, with the likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool leaving out some surprising names.

Here are five of the most significant absentees, selections that are certain to cause some frustration.

Real Madrid’s £51.8m signing of Marc Cucurella looked like an ominous development for former first-choice left-back Ferland Mendy, and those concerns will not have eased after Jose Mourinho named his first Champions League squad since returning to the Spanish capital.

The Frenchman is currently injured but is expected to return later this month. Even so, he will not feature in the Champions League league phase at the very least after missing Madrid’s 25-man cut.

The fact that he is injured is also undermined by the inclusion of both Eder Militao and Rodrygo, who are also sidelined, which suggests Mourinho’s decision was not based solely on fitness.

The managerial change from Arne Slot to Andoni Iraola looked as though it could be the final opportunity for Federico Chiesa to revive his Liverpool career, but his omission from the Champions League squad indicates that very little has changed.

The 28-year-old Italy international is currently out with a muscle injury suffered in August, although he is expected to resume training during this month’s international break.

However, his fitness issues, along with his limited role in the side, were enough for Iraola to leave him out of the 25-man shortlist.

Chiesa is not the only high-profile Liverpool player to miss out, with Wataru Endo also omitted.

The 33-year-old featured only eight times last year and has made just 87 appearances for Liverpool despite arriving in 2023.

Despite his lack of game time, there was little indication of interest from other clubs during the summer, so he is now likely to see out a contract that expires next summer.

Aston Villa spent £25m to bring Taylor Harwood-Bellis to the club, which makes his omission from the Champions League squad somewhat surprising.

The young English centre-back was signed with the expectation that he would replace Ezri Konsa, but being left out of the Champions League list may indicate that Unai Emery has different plans.

Brian Madjo is another unexpected Aston Villa absentee from the Champions League squad.

He impressed against Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup, but he was also forced to withdraw from that match because of an ankle injury.

However, Villa are seriously short of options up front, and the teenager had been expected to be fit again for the match against Nottingham Forest on September 12.

Madjo’s absence means Villa will be restricted to Nicolas Jackson and Tammy Abraham as their striking options in Europe, at least for the league phase.