Henderson, Bajcetic miss Liverpool training ahead of Real Madrid clash

Jurgen Klopp's side have a three-goal deficit to make up at the Bernabeu thanks to the 5-2 thumping Carlo Ancelotti's men subjected them to at Anfield three weeks ago.

Despite storming into a two-goal lead through Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez, Liverpool succumbed to braces from Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema alongside an Eder Militao header in their worst-ever home Champions League defeat.

Klopp's crop have previous when it comes to sensational comebacks against Spanish opponents - beating Barcelona 4-3 on aggregate in the 2018-19 semi-finals after a 3-0 first-leg loss - but the Liverpool boss has seemingly been dealt two blows ahead of the flight to Madrid.

The Reds opened up the first portion of their training session to the media on Tuesday morning, and neither Henderson nor Bajcetic appeared to be present with the first team during their warm-ups.

It is unclear if either player is nursing an injury or illness, and Klopp will be expected to offer an update on the pair's condition during this evening's pre-game press conference.

Both Henderson and Bajcetic started the first-leg defeat to Real Madrid, with the former captaining the side and playing 73 minutes, while Bajcetic lasted until the 85th minute.

Should neither man be given the green light to play on Wednesday night, the likes of James Milner, Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones will compete to join Fabinho in the engine room, while Naby Keita should also be an option after recovering from a knock.

However, Arthur - who is yet to play any minutes for the senior team since recovering from thigh surgery - was left out of Liverpool's squad for the last-16 tie, while Thiago Alcantara is still out with a hip problem.

Given his fresh concerns in the middle of the park, Klopp could be tempted to stray from his 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 setup at the Bernabeu, as Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino push to return to the fold.

On a more positive note, centre-back Joe Gomez was taking part in training with the team, having spent three weeks out with the muscular problem he picked up in the first leg.

Calvin Ramsay remains sidelined for the remainder of the season after undergoing knee surgery, while Luis Diaz is still training individually as he battles back from a knee operation of his own.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are expected to welcome Benzema back from an ankle problem in time for the second leg, with Ancelotti telling reporters on Tuesday that the striker will be "100%" ready for the second leg.

Ferland Mendy could also make his first appearance since sustaining a thigh problem at the end of January, but David Alaba is still struggling with the thigh problem he picked up in the first leg.

Liverpool have failed to win any of their last seven meetings with Real Madrid since a 4-0 last-16 second leg win at Anfield in 2009, losing six and drawing one to Los Blancos since.