Premier League: ten highlights to look out for this round of fixtures
Walker faces Garnacho ready for a new encounter
Another northwest showdown may be in store as Burnley's Kyle Walker faces Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho on Burnley's turf. The attacker is finding his feet with Chelsea after his off-season signing from Manchester United and demonstrated his skills versus Wolverhampton prior to the national team interval. His setup for Pedro Neto blended rapid acceleration and a flawless along-the-deck delivery. His contribution for Malo Gusto entailed shifting infield prior to dinking a cross to the back post. His joyous moment with Neto, echoing his previous embrace with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, served as a reminder of the pace with which circumstances change. The previous occasion Garnacho encountered Walker? When the Argentine scored for United during their Wembley triumph over Manchester City.
Burnley against Chelsea, Saturday 12.30pm (kick-offs GMT)
The winger vital to stopping Bournemouth's slide
Antoine Semenyo is receiving the entire rumour-mill treatment due to a reported £65m release clause for his potential mid-season move, the tabloids positioning him for promotion out of the Premier League's middle class. It is predictable from a wide player who has six goals and three helpers and is delightful to watch. Still, his side occupy an difficult spot, experiencing a role reversal: it is the bottom-half team West Ham who enter with consecutive triumphs, whereas Bournemouth have lost seven-one on aggregate over their previous two matches following an impressive start to the campaign. Semenyo saw his attempt stopped from the spot by Emi Martínez during the four-nil loss to Aston Villa however facing a defensive unit that hasn't kept a shutout since August may prove the best tonic.
Bournemouth versus West Ham, Saturday 3:00 PM
Danny Welbeck a surprise choice for the Three Lions
It seemed intriguing to hear Thomas Tuchel mention Danny Welbeck multiple times throughout the international break even though the Brighton attacker turns 35 soon. “Despite not having met him, I know what he could give me,” said the England boss. “He could serve as a reserve for Harry [Kane] in a very orthodox No 9 position.” Gaining the most recent of his 42 England games back in 2018, it's quite plausible that Welbeck may be on the plane to the World Cup assuming he is able to maintain his scoring feats. Once of Manchester United and Arsenal striker has a greater tally than any other English player in England's top division this season on six and will be keen to increase that tally when Brighton host Brentford this weekend.
Brighton versus Brentford, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
The full-back crucial as creator and scorer
The narrative around Ryan Sessegnon has brought some warmth to Fulham's inconsistent start. The 25-year-old, who came back to his boyhood club last year following five challenging years at Tottenham, has become a consistent pick, operating on the left due to the injury of the sidelined Antonee Robinson. The issue? On two goals, he remains their top goalscorer in the league together with Harry Wilson. The Mexican striker, their primary attacker in the last term, has netted a single goal while Rodrigo Muniz is unavailable for the long term owing to a hamstring operation. Sessegnon is also needing to deliver in a creative role instead of Robinson, who supplied ten setups last season. The Cottagers' next four fixtures feature three from the leading five as well as Crystal Palace, who have conceded just nine scores in the Premier League to date. A threat emerges for a team that have earned a standing for consistency in the middle.
Fulham against Sunderland, Saturday afternoon 3pm
The moment for Isak to deliver for the Reds
The dispute about Virgil van Dijk's chalked-off effort versus Manchester City could not hide Liverpool's shortcomings in that game as they lost to loss number seven in ten matches. Arne Slot's side need a consistent improvement to enter the championship chase from here, along with a major upturn in results, and the possibility arises with seven of their upcoming ten league games against teams currently in the lower half in the standings. The risk is evident posed by Nottingham Forest, the sole side to deliver a home league defeat to the title holders last season, but it is not only Liverpool's performance versus long balls and fast breaks that is under scrutiny. It is time for Alexander Isak to show up wearing red. The big-money forward has been absent in domestic action over four weeks following a muscle issue while his second consecutive start in four days in continental competition triumph at Eintracht Frankfurt. The striker came back as a substitute in Sweden's reverse by Switzerland but missed Tuesday's meaningless match with Slovenia to guarantee his readiness for next year's World Cup playoffs. A caution in that match might have made him ineligible. He might be short of|lacking|deficient
