Liverpool team news ahead of the Merseyside derby against Everton at Anfield.

It's a situation that every manager yearns for. They are scarcely afforded the luxury of having a full complement of players. In the Premier League, Liverpool and Fulham are the only two outfits heading into their respective games without injury concerns.

It could not come at a better time for Arne Slot as the Reds prepare for one of the biggest games of their season. They head into the 247th Merseyside derby with a clean bill of health, with a homegrown player in Curtis Jones returning to full fitness. With Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving in the summer, Jones is the only Scouser set to be involved in the game.

The midfielder has been absent for the past two games yet has returned to training. And it means there will be no member of Slot's squad that he cannot select against Everton. As a result, the Liverpool boss must omit three players from his set-up for the Toffees' visit to Anfield.

Third-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman will be left out, having featured on the bench for the 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid. Woodman could be in the squad as deputy to Giorgi Mamardashvili for next week's Carabao Cup clash against Southampton as Alisson Becker might be given the night off.

Giovanni Leoni will be braced to be the 21st man. The defender, who joined from Parma for £26 million in the summer transfer window, still awaits his debut. But the 18-year-old will understand that he has to be patient, with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate bona fide first choice in central defence and Joe Gomez offering cover.

But it will be intriguing to see who else is delivered disappointing news. Slot has admitted it's the hardest part of his job to leave out players.

Jones could well be the one who misses out and granted more time to build fitness. But it seems unlikely given that he has made an impact when coming off the bench this season. He was excellent during his cameo against Arsenal and gave Liverpool control. Slot has all-but confirmed Jones will be in the squad.

For many managers, Rio Ngumoha would be omitted as he is only aged 17. But given the impact he's had so far this campaign, scoring the dramatic winner against Newcastle United and putting Burnley and Atletico on the back foot with his dribbling, Slot may want him to again be an option.

In truth, it might be Federico Chiesa who suffers more disappointment. The forward has been left out of the Champions League squad for the league phase, with Ngumoha favoured. Despite scoring an 88th-minute winner to earn victory over AFC Bournemouth on the opening day of the campaign, Chiesa has remained down the pecking order. He was regularly omitted from squads last season and could find himself in a similar position.

The only other possibility is Wataru Endo being sidelined with Jones back. But Endo is capable of operating in central defence if he was needed, while he’s an asset to have off the bench to protect a lead.