Seven players missing from Liverpool training as selection hint dropped for Real Madrid

Liverpool renew their Champions League rivalry with Real Madrid when the pair meet in the last-16 first leg at Anfield tonight (20.00 GMT).

Both outfits are steeped in European history, having won the competition a combined 20 times. And when it comes to recent encounters, Real have very much had the upper hand.

The Reds suffered final heartbreak in 2018 and 2022 in Kyiv and Paris respectively. Meanwhile, Real also knocked Jurgen Klopp’s side out of the competition in the 2020-21 season at the quarter-final stage. Revenge will be the last thing on Liverpool’s mind, though. Getting a result will be the only thing they’re thinking about.

Klopp’s troops underwent a session yesterday at the AXA Training Centre as they put the final touches to their preparations.

Darwin Nunez was involved, with the hope he will feature. The striker suffered a shoulder injury in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat of Newcastle United - having bagged his 11th goal of the season when opening the scoring in the first half.

But there were several players who were missing.

Thiago Alcantara remains sidelined with a hip injury which has forced him to miss the past two games. Ibrahima Konate is still not back from a hamstring issue that’s ruled him out of three matches.

Meanwhile, Luis Diaz continues his return from a knee injury that has sidelined him since October. The winger is hopeful of being involved in the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on 15 March.

That’s a game that Calvin Ramsay will not be involved in. The right-back won’t play again this season after requiring knee surgery. He’s made just two appearances for Liverpool since joining from Aberdeen last summer.

In addition, Nat Phillips was not spotted in training. That’s despite the centre-back being on the bench against Newcastle United. It’s unclear if he has picked up a setback or was missing for another reason.

Fellow central defender Rhys Williams was also not present. That’s because he played for the under-21s in a 0-0 draw against Chelsea on Sunday and was in recovery. Ben Doak made his first outing since returning from a minor injury against Chelsea and was another not in training. What’s more, the 17-year-old - who has made five first-team appearances since arriving from Celtic last summer - is not registered in Liverpool’s Champions League squad.

Arthur Melo is another not eligible to feature for the Reds against Madrid. His only appearance since arriving on a season-long loan from Juventus came in a Champions League cameo in a 4-1 loss to Napoli. Melo was omitted from Klopp’s European set-up for the knockout stage.

Meanwhile, Cody Gakpo was put up for pre-match media duties alongside Klopp. That suggests that the Holland international is in line to keep his starting spot despite the recent injury returns of Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino. Gakpo has scored two goals in as many games, having fired blanks in his previous six outings after arriving from PSV Eindhoven for £37 million in January.