Liverpool.com was among the outlets at Tuesday's open training session ahead of the Champions League clash against Qarabag - here's what we spotted on a windy afternoon in Kirkby
14:31, 27 Jan 2026
Arne Slot instructs his players ahead of a training session
Five things spotted from Liverpool training ahead of the Champions League encounter against Qarabag(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool trained with reduced numbers on Tuesday as the Reds prepare for their final game in the 2025-26 Champions League league phase.
It has been a topsy-turvy European campaign, but wins over Inter Milan and Marseille in the last two games have left Liverpool in a strong position ahead of the encounter against Qarabag. A win will guarantee a top-eight finish and an automatic place in the last-16 of the competition.
A draw could even be enough, but Arne Slot could do with a convincing victory following Saturday’s dismal defeat at Bournemouth. Ahead of the Qarabag clash, Liverpool held its usual open training session, and Liverpool.com was among the outlets in attendance. Here are five things we spotted.
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Depleted numbers
There were just 16 outfield players involved in Tuesday’s session at the AXA Training Centre, which underlines the dearth of options currently available to Slot.
Two of those - Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha - are teenagers, while Slot is reluctant to hand starts to another pair: Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo. However, he might not have much choice against Qarabag.
Who was there?
The biggest takeaway from Tuesday's session was the absence of Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez.
The latter suffered a hip injury after colliding with Alisson during the defeat at the Vitality, while Konate is still on compassionate leave following the sad death of his father in France.
Federico Chiesa
Federico Chiesa returned to Liverpool training on Tuesday(Image: Getty Images)
Chiesa’s return at least offers Slot some relief. The winger has missed the last two matches due to a minor knock, and his inclusion will increase the pool of attacking options available.
In the eye of the storm
Even for mid-January, Tuesday’s session at the AXA Training Centre brought a particularly cold bout of weather. In truth, the blustery early afternoon was more suited for kit-flying than soccer, not that Liverpool’s players had much choice.
There was certainly no great rush for the players to emerge long before training began, although Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez enjoyed a quick kick about with Slot before things got underway.
Alexis Mac Allister
Who's under the snood?(Image: Getty Images)
When the whole squad had arrived, there were a few confused comments among the assembled reporters as the identities of two players proved elusive amid a mix of snoods and hoods. Ultimately, it was Curtis Jones and Alexis Mac Allister hidden from view.
Quick change
There was a brief moment of concern when Szoboszlai, at the start of the session, used the universal symbol for substitution toward the coaching staff. Was he injured and unable to continue? Nope. The midfielder just needed a change of footwear.
That was quickly resolved, with a member of staff emerging soon after holding a pair of boots.
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'Ave it'
When the squad moved from warm-up drills to a keep-ball session, a quick tally from the coaches made it clear that something had gone wrong: nine in one group and seven in the other wasn’t the plan.
The list of players in group one was read aloud again, and Kerkez was identified as the guilty party. After a few joke heckles from teammates, the Hungarian meandered over to the correct session and then was the first player to be caught out in a game of rondo.
A laughing Kerkez booted the ball away in fake anger, a scene reminiscent of the famous Peter Kay advert. “Ave it,” muttered a reporter behind his camera lens.