Why will Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister miss Saturday's Merseyside derby against Everton?

Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has been ruled out of Saturday's Merseyside derby against Everton through suspension.

The Argentina international made his 12th Premier League start of the season in Wednesday's Premier League away clash against Newcastle.

Liverpool fought back on two occasions to restore parity before Mohamed Salah scored his second goal of the game to give the Reds a 3-2 lead.

However, Arne Slot's side were ultimately left frustrated after Fabian Schar netted a 90th-minute equaliser to deny Liverpool an eighth consecutive win in all competitions.

The Liverpool boss would have also been disappointed to see Mac Allister pick up a costly yellow card in the first half at St James' Park.

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Mac Allister to miss Merseyside derby

Mac Allister had been at risk of suspension since he picked up his fourth yellow card of the Premier League season in a 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on November 2.

Unfortunately for Liverpool, Mac Allister was shown a yellow card in the 20th minute against Newcastle following a foul on Schar.

After collecting his fifth league booking, the World Cup winner will serve a one-match suspension, ruling him out of the first Merseyside derby of the season.

Mac Allister will sit out Saturday's trip to Goodison Park alongside the injured Alisson Becker, Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konate and Kostas Tsimikas.

There are also question marks surrounding the availability of Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa, who will have to be assessed ahead of the derby clash.

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Who will replace Mac Allister for Everton clash?

With Mac Allister suspended, Slot will have to decide which player will replace the 25-year-old in the Liverpool engine room.

Curtis Jones may drop into a deeper role alongside Ryan Gravenberch, allowing Dominik Szoboszlai to come into the side to operate as an attacking midfielder.

While that seems like the most realistic solution, Slot has the option to start Wataru Endo or Tyler Morton and allow Jones to stay in his advanced position.

Having avoided defeat in their last 10 league games, Liverpool will head into the derby as the Premier League leaders, with a seven-point advantage at the top of the table.