English top flight: 10 things to keep an eye on this weekend
1. Garnacho and Walker poised for a fresh clash
A Manchester reunion may be on the cards when Burnley's Kyle Walker confronts the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho in Lancashire. The attacker is finding his feet with Chelsea after his off-season signing from Old Trafford and demonstrated his abilities versus Wolverhampton prior to the national team interval. His setup for Pedro Neto blended blistering pace with a perfect grounded ball. His build-up for Malo Gusto entailed cutting inside prior to dinking a cross across the goalmouth. His joyous moment with Neto, mirroring his earlier celebration with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, served as a testament of the pace with which circumstances change. The most recent instance Garnacho encountered Walker? During the youngster found the net for United in their cup final win against Manchester City.
Burnley against Chelsea, Saturday afternoon 12.30pm (kick-offs GMT)
The winger crucial to stopping Bournemouth's slump
Antoine Semenyo is receiving the full rumour-mill attention due to a reported ÂŁ65m release clause for his prospective January departure, the media preparing him for promotion out of the Premier League's average tier. That is understandable from a wide player who has a half-dozen strikes and three assists who is pleasurable to watch. Nonetheless, Bournemouth find themselves in an tricky position, having undergone a body swap: it is the bottom-half team West Ham who come in on back-to-back victories, while Bournemouth have lost 7-1 over two games in their last two fixtures following an strong opening to the campaign. Semenyo saw his attempt stopped from the penalty spot by Emi MartĂnez during the heavy loss to Aston Villa however taking on a backline without a clean sheet since August could be the ideal tonic.
Bournemouth vs West Ham, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
The striker a left-field shout for the Three Lions
It seemed intriguing to hear Thomas Tuchel reference Danny Welbeck multiple times during the fixture pause although the Brighton forward celebrates 35 soon. âWithout even being familiar with him, I am aware what he can offer me,â said the England manager. âHe might act as a reserve for Harry [Kane] in a quite traditional centre-forward role.â Gaining the most recent of his 42 international appearances back in 2018, it's entirely possible that Welbeck might be in the squad for the World Cup assuming he can sustain his scoring exploits. The former Manchester United and Arsenal forward has a greater tally compared to any English footballer in the Premier League this term on six and remains keen to increase that total when Brighton entertain Brentford in Saturday's match.
Brighton vs Brentford, Saturday 3:00 PM
Ryan Sessegnon required as assist provider and finisher
Sessegnon's story has provided some comfort to Fulham's inconsistent opening. The former Tottenham man, who came back to his former side recently after five challenging years with Spurs, is now a consistent pick, driving down the left in the absence of the sidelined Antonee Robinson. The worry? On two goals, he's also their joint-top scorer in the Premier League together with Harry Wilson. Their main striker, their leading man last season, has bagged one goal whereas Rodrigo Muniz is out for the long term due to a surgical procedure. Sessegnon must also needing to deliver in a creative role in place of Robinson, who registered ten helpers last time round. The Cottagers' following four fixtures include three among the leading five plus Crystal Palace, who have let in just nine goals in the Premier League this season. Trouble awaits for a team that have developed a standing for mid-table stability.
Fulham versus Sunderland, Saturday afternoon three o'clock
The moment for Alexander Isak to deliver for Liverpool
The debate about Virgil van Dijk's chalked-off effort in the match with Manchester City did not camouflage Liverpool's inferiority during the match as they fell to a seventh defeat in ten matches. Arne Slot's squad require a prolonged upturn to force their way into the league contest from here, along with a dramatic improvement in form, and opportunity emerges with seven of their next 10 top-flight fixtures facing teams presently in the bottom half of the table. The danger is obvious posed by Nottingham Forest, the sole side to hand a loss at Anfield on the champions the previous campaign, however it's not just Liverpool's performance against long balls and counterattacks that remains under the spotlight. It is time for Alexander Isak to show up wearing red. The expensive signing has not featured for his club for a month following a groin injury while his second consecutive start in quick succession in continental competition victory at Eintracht Frankfurt. Isak returned as a substitute during Sweden's reverse by Switzerland but sat out the subsequent inconsequential game with Slovenia to ensure his readiness for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. A booking on Tuesday could have made him ineligible. He might be short of|lacking|deficient
