Premier League: 10 things to keep an eye on this weekend
1. Garnacho and Walker set for another encounter
Another northwest showdown may be in the offing as Burnley's Kyle Walker faces Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho in Lancashire. The attacker has started to settle at Stamford Bridge after his off-season signing from Manchester United and demonstrated his skills versus Wolverhampton before the national team interval. His key pass for Pedro Neto combined electric speed and a ideal grounded ball. His creation for Malo Gusto required moving onto his right before lofting a ball across the goalmouth. His goal reaction with Neto, mirroring his earlier celebration with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, served as a indication of the pace with which things transform. The most recent instance Garnacho encountered Walker? During the former found the net for United during their cup final win over Manchester City.
Burnley vs Chelsea, Saturday half past twelve (start times GMT)
The winger key to halting Cherries' slump
Antoine Semenyo is receiving the complete transfer speculation attention following a reported £65m escape clause for a potential January departure, the tabloids setting him up for promotion out of the Premier League's average tier. It is understandable for a wide player who has a half-dozen strikes plus three assists and remains delightful to watch. Still, his side are in an awkward situation, having engaged in a form flip: now it's the bottom-half team West Ham who come in with successive wins, whereas Bournemouth are down seven-one combined in their previous two fixtures after an promising beginning to the season. Semenyo was denied from the spot by Emi Martínez in the four-nil loss to Aston Villa but taking on a defensive unit lacking a shutout since August might be the best solution.
Bournemouth vs West Ham, Saturday afternoon three o'clock
Danny Welbeck a left-field choice for England
It proved intriguing to listen to Thomas Tuchel name-drop Danny Welbeck on more than one occasion throughout the international break despite the fact that the Brighton forward reaches 35 soon. “Despite not having met him, I am aware what he is able to offer me,” stated the England manager. “He might act as a reserve for Harry [Kane] as a quite orthodox centre-forward role.” Having won the most recent of his 42 caps back in 2018, it's entirely possible that Welbeck might be on the plane for the World Cup if he manages to maintain his goal-getting feats. The former Manchester United and Arsenal attacker boasts additional strikes than any other English footballer in the top flight this season on six and will be keen to boost that total as Brighton entertain Brentford on Saturday.
Brighton vs Brentford, Saturday 3:00 PM
The full-back crucial as playmaker and finisher
The Ryan Sessegnon tale has offered a degree of warmth to Fulham's bumpy start. The 25-year-old, who returned to his former side last year after five challenging years at Tottenham, has become a consistent pick, pushing forward on the left side with the unavailable Antonee Robinson. The concern? With two goals, he is their top goalscorer this season alongside Harry Wilson. Raúl Jiménez, their top scorer in the last term, has scored a single goal while Rodrigo Muniz is injured for the long term owing to hamstring surgery. Sessegnon is also being required to contribute as a creator instead of Robinson, who provided ten setups in the previous campaign. Fulham's following four fixtures include three from the leading five and Crystal Palace, who have allowed just nine strikes this season this season. Trouble awaits for a team that have earned a reputation for solidity in the central positions.
Fulham vs Sunderland, Saturday three o'clock
5. Time for Isak to produce for the Reds
The dispute regarding Virgil van Dijk's chalked-off effort versus Manchester City did not camouflage Liverpool's inferiority in that game as they lost to their seventh loss in ten matches. Arne Slot's team require a consistent improvement to enter the league contest from here, along with a significant upturn in results, and opportunity emerges with seven out of their following ten Premier League matches against sides at the moment in the bottom ten in the standings. The risk is evident posed by Nottingham Forest, the only team to hand a loss at Anfield on the champions in the last term, yet it isn't solely Liverpool's display against direct play and quick transitions that is under scrutiny. It is time that Alexander Isak to perform wearing red. The expensive signing has not played for his club for a month after picking up a muscle issue during his second appearance in the lineup in quick succession in Europe triumph at Eintracht Frankfurt. Isak returned from the bench during Sweden's loss by Switzerland but sat out the midweek inconsequential game versus Slovenia to ensure his fitness for next year's World Cup qualifiers. A yellow card in that match would have ruled him out. The striker could be short of|lacking|deficient
