Liverpool have been dealt a new selection blow ahead of Saturday’s Merseyside derby clash with Everton.
The Reds make the short trip for the last-ever Premier League derby to be held at Goodison Park on Saturday lunchtime, having seen their seven-match winning run across all competitions halted in a six-goal thriller against Newcastle on Wednesday night.
Such a result - combined with respective midweek wins for closest title challengers Chelsea and Arsenal - saw Liverpool’s lead at the Premier League summit trimmed down from nine to seven points before they take on an Everton team who emphatically ended a five-game winless sequence by thrashing fellow strugglers Wolves 4-0.
Arne Slot’s side will go to Goodison without the services of key midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, who picked up his fifth yellow card of the domestic season early on against Newcastle for a foul on Toon defender Fabian Schar.
That will see the Argentine World Cup-winner incur an automatic one-game suspension, ruling him out against Everton. Mac Allister was already banned for next week’s Champions League meeting with Girona in Spain after picking up three yellow cards in the competition, meaning he will not play again now until the top-flight visit of Fulham to Anfield on December 14.
The leaders will already be without injured defenders Ibrahima Konate, Kostas Tsimikas and Conor Bradley at the weekend, though the likes of Alisson Becker and Diogo Jota will be pushing to be involved after injury and summer signing Federico Chiesa started and scored for Liverpool’s Under-21s in their Premier League International Cup match against Danish side FC Nordsjaelland on Wednesday night.
Trent Alexander-Arnold will be expected to come straight back into the starting side at Everton, having been named on the bench against Newcastle to ensure his full fitness following a hamstring injury and come on to provide two assists for Mohamed Salah in an eventful second half.
Slot played Jarell Quansah at right-back against Newcastle, with Joe Gomez continuing to partner captain Virgil van Dijk in central defence in the absence of Konate. Curtis Jones replaced Dominik Szoboszlai further forward, with Darwin Nunez also picked ahead of Luis Diaz in attack.
