Liverpool superstar Alexis Mac Allister admits he doesn’t like playing against 25-year-old PL rival

In a recent interview, Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister opened up about the Premier League rival that he dreads playing against. Talking to Direct TV Sports, the 2022 World Cup winner revealed that he absolutely hates playing against Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Cristian Romero.

Mac Allister has had an impressive stint in the Premier League so far, having only arrived in England in 2019 from South American outfit Argentinos Juniors. He initially joined Brighton & Hove Albion before securing a move to Liverpool for a reported fee of €42 million on the back of a stellar 2022-23 campaign.

In his brief Premier League career so far, the Argentina international has squared off against several defenders. But none have troubled him as much as his compatriot and Spurs defender Cristian Romero. The former Brighton midfielder told Direct TV Sports, (via TBR Football):

"We had a few run ins with Cuti Romero. He’s a real pain, very aggressive and if you don’t stand up to him he keeps hitting you, but we have a great relationship and it makes it easier."

A teammate of Mac Allister on the international stage, Romero has firmly established himself as one of the most significant figures at Tottenham. The duo have faced off against each other five times in the English top-flight, with Romero coming out on top on all but one occasion.

However, the narrative gets flipped when it comes to the two playing side by side in the white and blue shirt. The pair have shared the pitch alongside each other 15 times till now and have managed to record a victory a whopping 14 times.

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Liverpool hoping for the return of several first-team players before next Premier League fixture

Despite beating Chelsea in the EFL Cup final, Liverpool were once again dealt with a fitness blow, this time losing Ryan Gravenberch to an injury. Such knocks have continued to plague the Reds' 2023-24 season, with the likes of Alisson Becker and Andy Robertson still sidelined with various fitness issues.

Nevertheless, there have been certain moments of joy for Liverpool fans of late. Ibrahima Konate and Alexis Mac Allister are set to make a comeback to the first team, as per Echo. While an update on Wataru Endo is yet to be released, Dominik Szoboszlai is looking more and more likely to return to the squad, as per Liverpool Echo.

Furthermore, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez are also said to be touch and go and could make a comeback in the Reds' next bout. They are scheduled to travel to Nottingham Forest on March 2 for the 27th match week of their Premier League campaign.