English top flight: 10 things to look out for this round of fixtures
Garnacho versus Walker poised for a new battle
A Mancunian rematch could be in the offing as Burnley's Kyle Walker lines up against Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho on Burnley's turf. The wide man has started to settle at Stamford Bridge after his summer move from the Red Devils and displayed his abilities against Wolves prior to the fixture pause. His setup for Pedro Neto combined rapid acceleration with a perfect along-the-deck delivery. His build-up for Malo Gusto required cutting inside before lofting a cross to the back post. His joyous moment with Neto, replicating his previous celebration with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, was a testament of how quickly situations evolve. The most recent instance Garnacho faced Walker? When the youngster netted for United in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
Burnley versus Chelsea, Saturday 12.30pm (start times GMT)
Antoine Semenyo key to halting Bournemouth's decline
Antoine Semenyo is attracting the full rumour-mill attention following a claimed £65m buyout clause for his prospective winter exit, the media preparing him for advancement out of the Premier League's mid-table ranks. This is to be expected from a attacker who has six goals and three helpers and remains delightful to watch. However, his team occupy an difficult situation, having engaged in a body swap: it is the bottom-half team West Ham who arrive on back-to-back victories, whereas Bournemouth are down 7-1 combined in their previous two games following an strong start to the campaign. Semenyo was denied on the penalty by Emi Martínez during the heavy loss to Aston Villa however facing a defensive unit without a clean sheet for months could be the perfect tonic.
Bournemouth versus West Ham, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
3. Welbeck an outside shout for the Three Lions
It seemed interesting to hear Thomas Tuchel reference Danny Welbeck on more than one occasion throughout the international break although the Brighton striker celebrates 35 next week. “Without even having met him, I understand what he can offer me,” stated the England manager. “He might act as a back-up for Harry [Kane] in a quite traditional centre-forward role.” Having won the final 42 England games in 2018, there is every chance that Welbeck might be on the plane for the World Cup provided he can sustain his scoring performances. The former Manchester United and Arsenal striker boasts more goals compared to any English player in England's top division this season having six and remains keen to increase that total as Brighton welcome Brentford this weekend.
Brighton against Brentford, Saturday afternoon three o'clock
The full-back required as creator and goalscorer
Sessegnon's story has offered a measure of positivity to Fulham's bumpy beginning. The 25-year-old, who returned to his youth team last year after five tough years at Tottenham, has become a consistent pick, operating on the left flank in the absence of the injured Antonee Robinson. The issue? Having scored twice, he is their top goalscorer in the Premier League as well as Harry Wilson. Their main striker, their primary attacker the previous campaign, has scored a single goal whereas Rodrigo Muniz is unavailable until 2026 because of a surgical procedure. Sessegnon must also being required to contribute as an assist provider instead of Robinson, who registered ten helpers last time round. Fulham's upcoming four fixtures include three among the best five and Crystal Palace, who have conceded just nine goals this season so far. Danger looms for a side that have developed a name for consistency in the middle.
Fulham against Sunderland, Saturday 3pm
The moment for The striker to produce for Liverpool
The controversy about Virgil van Dijk's ruled-out strike against Manchester City did not camouflage Liverpool's shortcomings on the day as they lost to a seventh defeat over ten fixtures. Arne Slot's side need a consistent improvement to muscle into the title race from here, along with a significant upturn in results, and opportunity emerges as seven of their following ten league games facing clubs currently in the bottom half in the league. The risk is clear posed by Nottingham Forest, the single club to hand a home league defeat to the title holders in the last term, yet it isn't solely Liverpool's showing against aerial passes and quick transitions that remains under the spotlight. Now is the occasion for Alexander Isak to show up for Liverpool. The expensive signing has been absent in domestic action for a month following a muscle issue when making his second start over a short period in Europe triumph at Eintracht Frankfurt. He reappeared off the bench in the Swedish loss by Switzerland but was rested Tuesday's dead rubber versus Slovenia to ensure his fitness for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. A caution on Tuesday would have ruled him out. He might be short of|lacking|deficient
