Arne Slot will be eager to win his first Merseyside derby at the weekend, but the Liverpool head coach could be without Alexis Mac Allister.
Arne Slot could be without Alexis Mac Allister when Liverpool lock horns with neighbours Everton at the weekend. The Toffees will host the Reds at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon in what is expected to be a fiery Merseyside derby with so much at stake for both sides – at opposite ends of the standings.
In the meantime, Liverpool must play Newcastle United at St. James’ Park on Wednesday night, while Everton face Wolves on home soil. With Slot’s side leading the Premier League title race, and Sean Dyche now eager to distance himself from a relegation scrap, the clash could prove to be season-defining.
If Mac Allister is shown a yellow card tonight, then he’ll miss the Everton fixture due to suspension. Premier League rules state that players who receive a total of five yellow cards in their first 19 games will be given a one-match ban.
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As it stands, there are 30 players across the Premier League walking a tightrope on four cautions – one of which being Ibrahima Konate – who has also been ruled for a ‘few weeks’ after suffering an injury against Real Madrid in the Champions League last week.
If a player is booked 10 times across the first 32 Premier League matches of the season, they will be suspended for two games. With domestic cup competitions underway, it must also be pointed out that yellow cards picked up in the Premier League are not carried over to the Carabao Cup or FA Cup.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Tyneside, Slot was quizzed on the festive fixture schedule. The Dutchman said: “Yeah, maybe the last thing makes it difficult. But I think if Liverpool is number one, two, three or four, it’s always a very special game for the teams we face.
“It doesn’t matter that much what the league table tells you. If Liverpool comes then their stadium is sold out and everybody wants to play us and wants to have the best game against us – like they have against Arsenal, Man City and all the others.
“So, the good thing for me is that it’s not only us who played that many games. So for example, we face Everton [on Saturday lunchtime], they’ve had a game during the week as well. Mostly we face teams that are rested for a week because we play [in the] Champions League and some others don’t.
“But now many teams have many games because it’s England and we play a lot of games in this period of time. I wasn’t aware of the fact that six of the nine were away. But now you tell me, it makes things even more difficult, but we’re ready for it.”
Nevertheless, Mac Allister – and Konate if he suddenly makes a return from the treatment room – are at risk of missing the Everton match, with four yellow cards under their belt. Meanwhile, there are five Liverpool players currently on three cautions; Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo.
