English top flight: 10 things to keep an eye on this weekend
1. Garnacho and Walker ready for a new clash
A Mancunian rematch may be on the cards as the Clarets' Kyle Walker lines up against the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho on Burnley's turf. The wide man has started to settle with Chelsea after his summer move from Manchester United and displayed his skills in the Wolves match prior to the international break. His setup for Pedro Neto blended blistering pace and a flawless grounded ball. His build-up for Malo Gusto involved cutting inside prior to dinking a delivery across the goalmouth. His celebration with Neto, mirroring his prior hug with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, acted as a indication of how quickly situations evolve. The last time Garnacho encountered Walker? During the youngster scored for United in the Wembley triumph against Manchester City.
Burnley versus Chelsea, Saturday afternoon 12.30pm (start times GMT)
The winger vital to halting Cherries' slump
Antoine Semenyo is receiving the complete transfer speculation treatment due to a claimed £65m release clause for a prospective January departure, the gossip columns setting him up for graduation from the Premier League's average tier. It is predictable for a wide player who has a half-dozen strikes and three setups and is delightful to watch. Still, Bournemouth are in an awkward spot, having engaged in a form flip: now it's the bottom-half team West Ham who enter with back-to-back victories, whereas Bournemouth have lost seven to one over two games over their last two matches after an impressive beginning to the season. Semenyo saw his attempt stopped from the spot by Emi Martínez in their four-nil loss to Aston Villa yet facing a defensive unit that hasn't kept a goalless game since August could be the best tonic.
Bournemouth against West Ham, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
The striker a left-field shout for the Three Lions
It seemed notable to hear Thomas Tuchel mention Danny Welbeck on more than one occasion throughout the international break although the Brighton striker turns 35 soon. “Even without having met him, I know what he is able to offer me,” commented the England boss. “He might act as a stand-in for Harry [Kane] playing a quite orthodox centre-forward role.” Gaining the last of his 42 international appearances several years ago, there is every chance that Welbeck could be selected for the World Cup assuming he manages to maintain his scoring exploits. The ex- Manchester United and Arsenal striker has additional strikes over every other English player in the top flight this campaign on six and remains keen to increase that tally when Brighton welcome Brentford in Saturday's match.
Brighton vs Brentford, Saturday three o'clock
Ryan Sessegnon needed as creator and scorer
Sessegnon's story has brought a degree of comfort to Fulham's inconsistent beginning. The 25-year-old, who returned to his boyhood club last year after five tough years at Tottenham, has emerged as a first-team fixture, operating on the left side in the absence of the unavailable Antonee Robinson. The concern? On two goals, he's also their top goalscorer in the Premier League together with Harry Wilson. Raúl Jiménez, their leading man the previous campaign, has scored a single goal whereas Rodrigo Muniz is out until 2026 owing to a hamstring operation. Sessegnon is also needing to deliver as a creator instead of Robinson, who registered 10 assists last time round. Fulham's next four matches take in three from the leading five as well as Crystal Palace, who have let in just nine strikes this season this season. Danger looms for a team that have developed a reputation for mid-table stability.
Fulham versus Sunderland, Saturday afternoon 3pm
The occasion for Alexander Isak to deliver for the Merseyside club
The dispute about Virgil van Dijk's ruled-out strike versus Manchester City could not hide Liverpool's shortcomings during the match as they fell to their seventh loss over ten fixtures. The coach's squad must have a consistent improvement to muscle into the title race from this position, as well as a major improvement in form, and a chance presents itself with seven out of their next 10 Premier League matches versus sides presently in the lower half in the league. The threat is evident posed by Nottingham Forest, the sole side to hand a home league defeat to Liverpool in the last term, yet it isn't solely Liverpool's showing against aerial passes and fast breaks that is under scrutiny. The moment has come for Alexander Isak to show up for Liverpool. The £125m striker has not played in domestic action for a month after picking up a muscle issue when making his second start in four days in continental competition victory in Germany. Isak returned from the bench in the Swedish defeat by Switzerland but sat out the subsequent dead rubber versus Slovenia to secure his availability for next year's World Cup knockout rounds. A caution during the game would have ruled him out. He might be short of|lacking|deficient
