Premier division: 10 things to watch for this round of fixtures
1. Garnacho and Walker poised for a new encounter
A Mancunian rematch might be on the cards when the Clarets' Kyle Walker confronts Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho on Burnley's turf. The winger is finding his feet in west London following his off-season signing from the Red Devils and showcased his talents against Wolves before the international break. His assist for Pedro Neto mixed electric speed with a flawless along-the-deck delivery. His creation for Malo Gusto involved moving onto his right before chipping a delivery across the goalmouth. His celebration with Neto, echoing his earlier hug with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, acted as a testament of how quickly situations evolve. The previous occasion Garnacho encountered Walker? When the youngster scored for United during their Wembley triumph over Manchester City.
Burnley vs Chelsea, Saturday afternoon 12:30 PM (kick-offs GMT)
The winger key to halting Bournemouth's slide
Antoine Semenyo is attracting the entire rumour-mill attention due to a reported £65m escape clause for his prospective January departure, the gossip columns setting him up for advancement out of the Premier League's average tier. That is to be expected for a winger who has six goals and three setups who is joyous to watch. Still, his team find themselves in an tricky situation, having undergone a role reversal: it is the bottom-half team West Ham who come in with successive wins, whereas Bournemouth are down seven to one on aggregate over their previous two games after an promising opening to the campaign. Semenyo had his effort saved from the spot by Emi Martínez in the heavy loss to Aston Villa yet facing a backline that hasn't kept a goalless game for months might be the best solution.
Bournemouth versus West Ham, Saturday 3:00 PM
3. Welbeck a surprise shout for the Three Lions
It was intriguing to listen to Thomas Tuchel reference Danny Welbeck on more than one occasion during the national team window despite the fact that the Brighton forward celebrates 35 next week. “Without even having met him, I am aware what he is able to provide,” commented the England coach. “He might act as a back-up for Harry [Kane] in a quite conventional centre-forward position.” Earning the most recent of his 42 international appearances back in 2018, it's quite plausible that Welbeck may be on the plane for the World Cup provided he can continue his scoring performances. The ex- Manchester United and Arsenal attacker has a greater tally than any other English performer in England's top division this season on six and will be keen to add to that tally when Brighton entertain Brentford on Saturday.
Brighton versus Brentford, Saturday 3pm
4. Sessegnon required as assist provider and goalscorer
The Ryan Sessegnon tale has provided a measure of positivity to Fulham's inconsistent beginning. The left-sided player, who returned to his boyhood club last year after five challenging years in north London, has emerged as a regular starter, driving down the left flank with the sidelined Antonee Robinson. The issue? Having scored twice, he remains their joint-top scorer this season as well as Harry Wilson. Their main striker, their primary attacker the previous campaign, has netted once whereas Rodrigo Muniz is unavailable for an extended period owing to a hamstring operation. Sessegnon is also being required to contribute in a creative role instead of Robinson, who supplied ten setups in the previous campaign. Fulham's next four fixtures include three from the top five plus Crystal Palace, who have let in only nine goals this season so far. Trouble awaits for a side that have developed a standing for consistency in the middle.
Fulham vs Sunderland, Saturday afternoon three o'clock
5. Time for The striker to deliver for the Reds
The controversy surrounding Virgil van Dijk's disallowed goal versus Manchester City could not hide Liverpool's deficiencies on the day as they succumbed to a seventh defeat in 10 games. The coach's team must have a consistent improvement to enter the title race from here, plus a dramatic boost in performance, and a chance presents itself as seven of their next 10 top-flight fixtures against sides at the moment in the lower half in the standings. The danger is obvious posed by Nottingham Forest, the single club to hand a defeat on their own turf to Liverpool in the last term, yet it isn't solely Liverpool's display versus aerial passes and counterattacks that will be under scrutiny. The moment has come for Alexander Isak to perform wearing red. The big-money forward has not played for his club over four weeks following a groin injury when making his second consecutive start in four days in continental competition victory at Eintracht Frankfurt. He reappeared as a substitute during Sweden's defeat to Switzerland but sat out the midweek dead rubber with Slovenia to secure his readiness for the World Cup playoffs. A booking in that match could have made him ineligible. He might be short of|lacking|deficient
