English top flight: ten key points to watch for this round of fixtures
1. Garnacho and Walker poised for a fresh battle
A Mancunian rematch may be in the offing as Burnley's Kyle Walker confronts the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho at Turf Moor. The attacker is adapting well in west London following his off-season signing from Manchester United and displayed his talents in the Wolves match before the national team interval. His assist for Pedro Neto mixed blistering pace and a perfect grounded ball. His build-up for Malo Gusto required cutting inside before chipping a delivery across the goalmouth. His celebration with Neto, replicating his previous celebration with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, served as a testament of how quickly situations evolve. The most recent instance Garnacho faced Walker? Back when the Argentine netted for United in the cup final win over Manchester City.
Burnley vs Chelsea, Saturday 12.30pm (start times GMT)
The winger vital to stopping Cherries' decline
Antoine Semenyo is receiving the complete rumour-mill attention following a reported £65m escape clause for a prospective mid-season move, the media setting him up for promotion out of the Premier League's average tier. That is to be expected for a winger with a half-dozen strikes and three assists and is joyous to watch. However, his side are in an awkward situation, having undergone a form flip: it is the bottom-half team West Ham who arrive with consecutive triumphs, while Bournemouth have been beaten seven to one on aggregate in their past two games after an promising opening to the season. Semenyo had his effort saved on the penalty by Emi Martínez during the heavy loss to Aston Villa but taking on a backline lacking a clean sheet in the league since the start of the season could be the perfect remedy.
Bournemouth against West Ham, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
Danny Welbeck a surprise shout for the Three Lions
It seemed intriguing to listen to Thomas Tuchel name-drop Danny Welbeck repeatedly throughout the fixture pause even though the Brighton striker celebrates 35 in the coming days. “Despite not being familiar with him, I am aware what he is able to provide,” stated the England coach. “He could serve as a reserve for Harry [Kane] playing a very orthodox No 9 position.” Earning the final 42 caps back in 2018, there is every chance that Welbeck might be selected to the World Cup assuming he can maintain his goal-getting performances. Once of Manchester United and Arsenal forward boasts a greater tally than any other English footballer in England's top division this term with six and remains anxious to increase that count as Brighton entertain Brentford this weekend.
Brighton against Brentford, Saturday 3:00 PM
Ryan Sessegnon required as creator and scorer
The Ryan Sessegnon tale has provided some warmth to Fulham's uneven start. The left-sided player, who came back to his youth team last year following five difficult years in north London, has become a regular starter, operating on the left flank due to the injury of the unavailable Antonee Robinson. The concern? With two goals, he's also their top goalscorer in the league as well as Harry Wilson. The Mexican striker, their top scorer in the last term, has netted once while Rodrigo Muniz is out for the long term owing to a hamstring operation. Sessegnon is also being required to contribute in a creative role in place of Robinson, who provided 10 assists last time round. The Cottagers' next four fixtures take in three of the best five and Crystal Palace, who have conceded just nine goals in the league so far. A threat emerges for a side that have built a name for mid-table stability.
Fulham vs Sunderland, Saturday 3:00 PM
The occasion for Isak to produce for the Merseyside club
The dispute surrounding Virgil van Dijk's disallowed goal in the match with Manchester City failed to mask Liverpool's shortcomings during the match as they fell to loss number seven in 10 games. The manager's squad require a prolonged upturn to enter the league contest from here, plus a significant upturn in results, and a chance presents itself with seven from their next 10 top-flight fixtures versus sides at the moment in the bottom ten in the standings. The threat is evident from Nottingham Forest, the sole side to hand a defeat on their own turf to the title holders the previous campaign, yet it isn't solely Liverpool's performance against aerial passes and counterattacks that will be under scrutiny. The moment has come that Alexander Isak to deliver in a Liverpool shirt. The expensive signing has not featured for his club in a month after picking up a groin injury when making his second consecutive start in four days in the Champions League win at Eintracht Frankfurt. Isak returned off the bench in Sweden's defeat against Switzerland but was rested the midweek dead rubber with Slovenia to secure his availability for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. A booking on Tuesday could have made him ineligible. Isak may be short of|lacking|deficient
