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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Mark Jones

5 things we spotted as Liverpool get bad news before flying to Madrid in search of miracle

Just when you think they might have cracked it, they go and shoot themselves in the foot again.

Liverpool's 2022-23 season could probably be best summed up by two things that have happened to them in the past month - one was beating Manchester United 7-0 before losing 1-0 to Bournemouth, and another was going 2-0 up against Real Madrid before going down 5-2.

They still have, in theory, a chance to turn that Madrid tie around, but there has been some disappointing news for the squad as they head to Spanish capital on Tuesday.

Here's what we spotted from training and the airport.

1. They couldn't, could they? (Spoiler: probably not)

Salah was looking a focused figure in Kirkby (AFP via Getty Images)

Given the topsy-turvy nature of the season the weekend's defeat at Dean Court probably wasn't all that surprising.

However, pulling off a shock here would be at another level.

We all know how much of a history Mo Salah has with Real Madrid though, and after he put the Reds 2-0 up in the dizzying opening moments of that Anfield first leg he'd have thought that revenge for both Kyiv and Paris was on the way.

It emphatically wasn't, and surely won't be here.

As Jurgen Klopp once famously said before the Barcelona semi-final second leg in 2019, "because it's you, we have a chance", but how much of that Liverpool still remains?

2. Bajcetic boards, but he's injured

Spanish youngster Stefan Bajcetic wasn't spotted in training but did make the flight to Madrid (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

The Reds have had to change of course, with players in their squad continuing to get older, and one of the plus points of the disjointed campaign has been the emergence of Stefan Bajcetic.

The Spanish youngster sparked fears when he wasn't spotted in Tuesday's open training session, but he was then seen boarding the plane with the team as they jetted off from John Lennon Airport.

However, once they landed in Madrid Jurgen Klopp confirmed that the youngster would not be in the squad for the game due to "a stress response" to an adductor muscle injury.

This has been a poor season from Liverpool but it has at least introduced the teenager to the fold, and he could be there for some time as part of the much-needed rebuild that looks increasingly likely to be on the way in the summer.

Indeed, finding him might just have saved the club a decent amount of money.

3. Captain not captured on film

Liverpool trained at their Kirkby base on Tuesday before flying to Madrid (AFP via Getty Images)

Bajcetic wasn't the only absentee from the squad spotted during Tuesday's training session, with Jordan Henderson not seen amongst the group at Kirkby.

Klopp had said that the skipper had been ill before the Bournemouth game, but he still made it off the bench in the 65th minute of the disappointing defeat.

Henderson was then not seen with the group as they boarded their flight either, and he is expected to now be missing for the game.

4. Luis Diaz loving life... but not ready yet

Luis Diaz was out on the training pitch at Kirkby, but isn't yet ready to return (AFP via Getty Images)

There may have been no Henderson or Bajcetic, but Luis Diaz was present on the training pitches of Kirkby as the Colombian continues his recovery from the knee injury which has decimated his season.

Diaz was spotted doing an individual session while his team-mates limbered up in a group, as his tailored training programme continues.

He had said to have been targeting the trip to Madrid for his return to action, but like Henderson he wasn't spotted boarding the plane and will instead look to step up his fitness when the Reds return to action after the international break at Manchester City.

5. The last time on the big stage?

Roberto Firmino boarded the plane with the squad (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

If Liverpool are to find a hero in Madrid, then what about Roberto Firmino?

Such a key part of Klopp's side which won the Champions League in the Spanish capital in 2019, Firmino's farewell tour makes a stop-off at the Bernabeu as he plays what is likely to be his final ever Champions League game for the Reds, and perhaps his final one full stop depending on where he ends up.

Indeed, with the likes of James Milner, Adrian, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - all of whom are out of contract in the summer - as well as others who could leave at the end of the season on the flight too, it could be a last hurrah for many.

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