Alexis Mac Allister is at risk of missing the Merseyside derby against Everton after picking up his fourth Premier League yellow card of the season, but the Liverpool midfielder has been handed a reprieve in the Champions League following a UEFA yellow card rule change

Alexis Mac Allister faces the prospect of sitting out the Merseyside derby later this month through suspension. The Liverpool midfielder received a booking during Sunday's 3-1 triumph over Crystal Palace — a game in which he netted the opener — following a late altercation with Jefferson Lerma that saw the pair confront each other before being pulled apart.

The yellow card represented Mac Allister's sixth of the campaign across all competitions, having been cautioned in each of Liverpool's previous three fixtures, with four of those bookings coming in the Premier League.

Any player who accumulates five bookings within their club's opening 19 Premier League matches is required to serve a one-match ban.

As a consequence, the Argentine must now navigate the Reds' next nine league outings without receiving a yellow card if he is to remain available for selection.

Given that he has picked up four bookings in just 10 top-flight appearances, avoiding further cautions appears an unlikely proposition.

As things stand, the first fixture Mac Allister could find himself suspended for is Liverpool's visit to Everton on Sunday, 29th November. Should he collect a booking against Manchester United the week prior, he will be forced to miss the match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The Reds welcome Sunderland to Merseyside on 2nd December before making the trip to Chelsea on 5th December, with a pair of home Premier League fixtures then following on 12th and 19th December against Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.

Andoni Iraola's side then face back-to-back away days at Hull City and Aston Villa over the festive period on Boxing Day and 30th December, before kicking off 2027 with a home clash against Coventry City on 2nd January.

Liverpool's 20th league outing of the campaign then takes them away to Sunderland on 5th January, with Mac Allister highly likely to sit out one of the aforementioned fixtures once he collects his fifth yellow card of the season.

Beyond the halfway stage of the season, players who accumulate 10 yellow cards in Premier League games up to and including their club's 32nd fixture will serve a two-match ban in the competition.

Alongside Mac Allister, Ronald Araujo, Bradley Barcola, Milos Kerkez and Virgil van Dijk are all edging closer to the danger zone. The four players have each been booked three times in the Premier League so far this term.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz have each picked up two cautions, while Alisson Becker, Jeremie Frimpong and Alexander Isak have received a single yellow card apiece.

While Mac Allister currently faces the prospect of a Premier League suspension, he has at least been granted a reprieve in the Champions League. The World Cup winner has collected two yellow cards from four European fixtures so far this campaign.

Previously, a third caution during the league phase would have triggered an automatic suspension.

However, a UEFA regulation amendment introduced ahead of the current season means Mac Allister is not just one booking away from a European ban, following the governing body's decision to increase the threshold.

Players now face suspension after accumulating four yellow cards that did not result in a red card, as well as after any subsequent even-numbered cautions (sixth, eighth, etc), with the revised rule taking effect at the start of the 2026/27 campaign.

As a result, Mac Allister will be available for selection against Club Brugge on November 25 and FC Porto on December 9.

Nevertheless, should he receive bookings in both matches, he would be forced to miss Liverpool's trip to Internazionale on January 19.

Similarly, a caution in either of the December fixtures mentioned, followed by another at the San Siro, would see Mac Allister ruled out of the Reds' final league phase encounter at home to Lens on January 27.

Mac Allister remains the sole Liverpool player to have been cautioned in the Champions League thus far this season.