Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister misses Argentina game after injury scare

Argentina were held to a 1-1 draw against a struggling Venezuelan team last night.

The game was marred by a washed-out pitch, meaning any attempt at actual football was virtually impossible in the north-eastern town of Maturín.

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The World Cup winner opened the scoring with a pass from Nicolas Otamendi after a terrible rebound from a free kick from Lionel Messi. They then spent most of the game fending off their counter-attacks before former Everton player Salomon Rondon equalized for Venezuela in the 65th minute.

So it may have been a blessing that Alexis Mac Allister didn’t see the pitch.

The Reds have been worried about the midfielder since he was substituted at half-time in Liverpool’s last game against Crystal Palace, with rumors of an injury circulating.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed Mac Allister was suffering from a knock, admitting he was training separately and was a serious doubt for the game.

“We will make the decision whether he will be in the squad or sit on the bench or play on Thursday. But today it is unlikely that he will make it,” Scaloni said in his pre-match press conference.

Absence of Mac Allister

Mac Allister was placed on the bench after the trip, but it was Marseille’s Leandro Balerdi and Roma’s Leandro Paredes who replaced Giovanni Lo Celso and Enzo Fernandes respectively during the game.

However, under these circumstances it would have been likely that Mac Allister would have exacerbated the problem he is currently experiencing. So if he isn’t 100% fit, it could be useful to the player and Liverpool in the long run.

Mac Allister was also questionable during the last international break but played the final 25 minutes in a defeat to Colombia before returning to Liverpool’s starting lineup.

Liverpool have now endured an intense three-week period between international breaks and have to play against Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Leipzig, Leverkusen and Brighton (twice). All of these teams are doing well in their respective leagues so far.

It will be the first real test of what new head coach Arne Slot’s Liverpool FC are made of. Alexis Mac Allister will be necessary if Liverpool are to come through this period with anything remotely successful.

Argentina host Bolivia in Buenos Aires on Tuesday (Wednesday 1am BST).