Alexis Mac Allister fitness latest as Liverpool man confronts Arsenal rival

Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net.

Liverpool and Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister challenges Ecuador's midfielder during the 2026 World Cup qualifier on September 9 2025(Image: MARCOS PIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Alexis Mac Allister handed Liverpool a fitness boost ahead of the weekend by coming through Argentina's World Cup qualifier in Ecuador.

Mac Allister played a full 90 minutes for the first time since the Reds' win at Leicester City on April 20 when he featured during his country's 1-0 defeat in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni had admitted before the game the midfielder was "not at 100%" having left him on the bench for the 3-0 home win over Venezuela last week.

But Mac Allister has now taken a significant step forward in his attempts to regain match sharpness ahead of Liverpool's Premier League visit to Burnley on Sunday.

READ MORE:Liverpool transfer decision clear as impact of Marc Guehi move collapse feltREAD MORE:Arne Slot faces difficult Alexander Isak decision as Liverpool consider striker change

He was involved in a flashpoint towards the end of a game in which both teams had a player sent off, confronting Ecuador's Piero Hincapie - on loan at Arsenal from Bayer Leverkusen - after an altercation with Argentina's Franco Mastantuono.

Elsewhere in South America, Alisson Becker posted a man-of-the-match performance but was beaten by a penalty on the stroke of half-time as Brazil were defeated in Bolivia.

It moved the Selecao down to fifth place in the final standings in the South American qualification group 10 points behind leaders Argentina, although both had already booked their place in next summer's finals.

In Europe, Milos Kerkez and Dominik Szoboszlai featured for Hungary in their 3-2 loss at home to Portugal in Group F, while Ibrahima Konate started and Hugo Ekitike was a late substitute for France in their 2-1 win over Iceland in Group D.

Mohamed Salah helped move Egypt to within two points of qualification for the World Cup with two games to play after a goalless draw at Burkina Faso in African qualifying Group A.

Article continues below

There were a number of younger Liverpool players also on international duty.

Goalkeeper Armin Pecsi started for Hungary in their 1-1 draw with Lithuania in their UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier, while Trent Kone-Doherty made his debut for Republic of Ireland U21s in their 1-0 win against Andorra.

Meanwhile, Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni both came off the bench to feature for England U19s in their 4-1 win over Holland.