Overview

• Imaging confirmed Giovanni Leoni ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the EFL Cup win over Southampton, ruling him out for many months with surgery and rehabilitation expected.
• Liverpool is weighing use of UEFA’s provision to replace a player out for 60+ days, with reports indicating Federico Chiesa is the leading candidate to be added to the Champions League squad.
• Leoni, a summer signing from Parma for a reported €30–35 million, left Anfield on a stretcher in tears and later posted that he will do everything to return, while Arne Slot described him as very down after the incident.
• The Reds beat Southampton 2-1 to reach the next round, with Chiesa assisting both goals in one of his standout performances since arriving on Merseyside.
• Napoli said Alessandro Buongiorno sustained a low‑grade lesion of the left adductor longus and began rehab, with an expected three‑week absence that will see him miss Milan, the Champions League opener and likely Genoa, as club leadership renewed criticism of league and vendor data access.