Four things spotted in Liverpool training as Ibrahima…

Four things spotted in Liverpool training as Ibrahima Konate back but three stars still missing

Liverpool have been back in training as they prepare to host Rangers in the third week of the Champions League group stages tomorrow evening.

The Reds will look to bounce back from yet another disappointing performance in the Premier League at the weekend, with Leandro Trossard's hat-trick earning Brighton a 3-3 draw at Anfield on Saturday - they have now won just two of their opening seven league games.

Things have only been slightly better in Europe, with Jurgen Klopp's side managing to recover from their opening gameweek 4-1 humbling at Napoli to beat Ajax 2-1 back on Merseyside in mid-September - although it took an 89th-minute Joel Matip header to do so.

And ahead of a first ever meeting with Scottish giants Rangers - and another chapter to the highly-anticipated 'Battle of Britain' clashes - The Reds have been working hard to prepare at the AXA Training Centre. Here's four key takeaways from today's session.

Konate in training and in contention

Ibrahima Konate was spotted with the squad and could be back in contention for a first competitive appearance of the season.

The 23-year-old picked up a knee injury during Liverpool's final pre-season friendly against Strasbourg, and has been spotted in full training as a return edges closer.

Fresh options in defence will be welcome relief for Klopp, who has seen a typically reliable defensive pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Matip falter in recent weeks, especially in Saturday's draw against Brighton.

Ramsay spotted on the training pitch again

Summer signing Calvin Ramsay was spotted with the first-team squad again earlier today after making an appearance in training last week. The 19-year-old arrived form Aberdeen for just £4million over the summer, but a minor injury picked up during the medical has sidelined the teenager since.

Ramsey was not named on the substitute bench for Saturday's game, but there may soon be scope for the young right-back to be brought into the picture, with Trent Alexander-Arnold struggling to hit top gear and games piling up ahead of the World Cup.

Kostas Tsimikas was asked about Ramsey during the pre-Rangers press conference, and the Greek left-back said: "He is a good lad. Even when he was injured, we spent time together and I tried to help him and see what kind of guy he is. I think he will help the team. He's done good stuff in training. He will be good competition."

Arthur Melo in the mix

On-loan midfielder Arthur Melo will be hoping to prove his fitness during training as he looks to kickstart his Reds career.

The Brazilian has made just one substitute appearance for Klopp's side, coming on with 14 minutes left in the 4-1 defeat to Napoli - he has also played twice for Barry Lewtas' under-21s in a bid to get up to speed.

Melo was alongside the rest of the first-team squad in training today and will once again be hoping to make his full debut when Rangers come to town.

Several still missing

While Klopp will welcome Ramsay and Konate back with open arms, several first-team options were notably absent from training and are will not be involved tomorrow.

Those absences remain concentrated in midfield where Curtis Jones, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were all missing.

The latter pair were omitted from the Reds' Champions League squad for the remainder of this year. Jones has not played since the Community Shield and seems to be struggling to recover from a recurring bone injury in his shin.

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