Stephan Lichtsteiner left off Juventus’ Champions League squad list

The day after transfer deadline day brought the submission of the squad lists for group stage of both of the European competitions that will begin after the current international break. On Juventus’ end of the equation, you figured everything would be routine and nothing would take you by surprise. Nope, nothing with this kind of squad that they have put together.

Juventus had other ideas.

Every player you expected to be on Juve’s Champions League group stage squad list was there — except for one. Stephan Lichtsteiner, who not even 12 hours earlier basically shot down every transfer rumor that was out there on his own, has been excluded from the squad list.

Here is the full list, sans-Lichtsteiner:

1 Buffon

3 Chiellini

4 Benatia

5 Pjanic

6 Khedira

7 Cuadrado

8 Marchisio

9 Higuain

11 Hernanes

12 Alex Sandro

15 Barzagli

17 Mandzukic

18 Lemina

19 Bonucci

20 Pjaca

21 Dybala

22 Asamoah

23 Dani Alves

24 Rugani

25 Neto

27 Sturaro

32 Audero (List B)

33 Evra

NEEDS MORE TWENTY-SIX, YOU GUYS.

The exclusion of Lichtsteiner, something nobody expected to have happen, leaves Dani Alves as the only natural right back on Juventus’ Champions League squad list. Is this a sign that Max Allegri will go 3-5-2 full-time in Europe? Maybe, maybe not. But when your other choice on the right wing is Juan Cuadrado, it’s a pretty clear sign that it’s going to be Dani Alves the first time and all the time from thereafter.

Hope this doesn’t come back to bite Juventus in the backside. But when you don’t include arguably your best option at right back, it’s not exactly a good look. There’s obviously more to this than we know right now.