English top flight: 10 things to watch for this round of fixtures
Garnacho versus Walker ready for another encounter
Another northwest showdown could be in the offing when the Clarets' Kyle Walker lines up against the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho on Burnley's turf. The attacker is finding his feet in west London following his summer move from the Red Devils and demonstrated his abilities against Wolves prior to the national team interval. His setup for Pedro Neto combined rapid acceleration with a ideal along-the-deck delivery. His contribution for Malo Gusto involved shifting infield before dinking a delivery to the back post. His celebration with Neto, mirroring his prior celebration with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, was a testament of how quickly situations evolve. The last time Garnacho took on Walker? During the Argentine netted for United during their cup final win over Manchester City.
Burnley versus Chelsea, Saturday afternoon 12.30pm (kick-offs GMT)
Antoine Semenyo crucial to stopping Cherries' slide
Antoine Semenyo is attracting the entire rumour-mill treatment following a claimed £65m release clause for his possible mid-season move, the media preparing him for graduation out of the Premier League's average tier. This is to be expected from a winger who has a half-dozen strikes and three assists who is delightful to watch. Nonetheless, Bournemouth find themselves in an difficult situation, having undergone a form flip: it is the bottom-half team West Ham who enter with back-to-back victories, whereas Bournemouth have lost seven to one on aggregate over their past two games after an strong beginning to the campaign. Semenyo saw his attempt stopped from the spot by Emi Martínez during the heavy loss to Aston Villa however confronting a defensive unit lacking a goalless game in the league since the start of the season might be the best solution.
Bournemouth against West Ham, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
3. Welbeck a left-field option for the national team
It proved notable to hear Thomas Tuchel name-drop Danny Welbeck repeatedly during the international break despite the fact that the Brighton striker turns 35 in the coming days. “Despite not having met him, I know what he can offer me,” commented the England boss. “He could serve as a stand-in for Harry [Kane] as a very traditional No 9 position.” Earning the most recent of his 42 international appearances in 2018, it's entirely possible that Welbeck could be selected to the World Cup assuming he manages to maintain his goalscoring exploits. The ex- Manchester United and Arsenal forward can claim a greater tally than any other English player in the Premier League this term having six and will be keen to increase that total when Brighton welcome Brentford in Saturday's match.
Brighton against Brentford, Saturday 3pm
4. Sessegnon required as creator and finisher
Sessegnon's story has offered a degree of positivity to Fulham's inconsistent start. The left-sided player, who rejoined his boyhood club last year after five tough years with Spurs, has become a first-team fixture, operating on the left flank with the sidelined Antonee Robinson. The worry? Having scored twice, he remains their top goalscorer this season together with Harry Wilson. The Mexican striker, their top scorer last season, has netted once while Rodrigo Muniz is injured until 2026 owing to a surgical procedure. Additionally, Sessegnon having to step up as a creator instead of Robinson, who provided ten helpers last season. The Cottagers' next four matches include three of the leading five as well as Crystal Palace, who have allowed merely nine scores this season this season. Trouble awaits for a team that have earned a standing for consistency in the middle.
Fulham versus Sunderland, Saturday 3:00 PM
The moment for The striker to produce for the Merseyside club
The controversy regarding Virgil van Dijk's ruled-out strike against Manchester City did not camouflage Liverpool's deficiencies in that game as they lost to a seventh defeat over ten fixtures. The manager's team must have a sustained recovery to muscle into the league contest from here, along with a significant boost in performance, and the possibility emerges with seven of their following ten top-flight fixtures facing teams currently in the lower half of the table. The risk is evident posed by Nottingham Forest, the only team to hand a loss at Anfield to Liverpool last season, but it is not only Liverpool's showing when facing direct play and fast breaks that remains in focus. Now is the occasion for Alexander Isak to show up wearing red. The expensive signing has not featured in domestic action over four weeks after picking up a groin problem when making his second appearance in the lineup over a short period in Europe win in Germany. The striker came back off the bench in Sweden's defeat by Switzerland but missed the subsequent dead rubber versus Slovenia to secure his availability for next year's World Cup knockout rounds. A yellow card on Tuesday might have suspended him. The striker could be short of|lacking|deficient
