Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
1. Garnacho and Walker ready for a new encounter
A Mancunian rematch may be on the cards when Burnley's Kyle Walker lines up against Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho on Burnley's turf. The winger is adapting well in west London following his close-season transfer from Manchester United and displayed his abilities versus Wolverhampton before the national team interval. His setup for Pedro Neto combined rapid acceleration with a ideal along-the-deck delivery. His build-up for Malo Gusto involved cutting inside before dinking a ball toward the far post. His celebration with Neto, echoing his previous hug with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, served as a indication of the pace with which things transform. The last time Garnacho faced Walker? When the former netted for United during their cup final win over Manchester City.
Burnley vs Chelsea, Saturday 12:30 PM (all times GMT)
Antoine Semenyo vital to stopping Bournemouth's slide
Antoine Semenyo is getting the entire rumour-mill treatment amid a claimed £65m release clause for a prospective January departure, the tabloids positioning him for graduation from the Premier League's average tier. This is to be expected for a attacker with six finishes and three setups and remains delightful to watch. However, his side occupy an difficult position, having engaged in a form flip: now it's the relegation battlers West Ham who arrive on consecutive triumphs, whereas Bournemouth are down seven to one over two games in their past two matches following an impressive beginning to the campaign. Semenyo saw his attempt stopped on the penalty by Emi Martínez in their four-nil loss by Aston Villa but facing a backline without a shutout in the league since the start of the season could be the ideal tonic.
Bournemouth against West Ham, Saturday 3:00 PM
Danny Welbeck an outside shout for the Three Lions
It was notable to listen to Thomas Tuchel mention Danny Welbeck repeatedly throughout the fixture pause despite the fact that the Brighton forward celebrates 35 next week. “Even without having met him, I know what he could offer me,” stated the England boss. “He can be a back-up for Harry [Kane] playing 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 selected for the World Cup assuming he can continue his goalscoring feats. The ex- Manchester United and Arsenal attacker can claim a greater tally over every other English player in England's top division this season having six and will be eager to increase that tally as Brighton welcome Brentford in Saturday's match.
Brighton vs Brentford, Saturday afternoon 3pm
Ryan Sessegnon required as playmaker and scorer
The Ryan Sessegnon tale has offered some warmth to Fulham's bumpy start. The left-sided player, who came back to his youth team recently following five challenging years at Tottenham, is now a consistent pick, pushing forward on the left side with the injured Antonee Robinson. The concern? With two goals, he is their leading marksman in the league as well as Harry Wilson. The Mexican striker, their primary attacker the previous campaign, has netted a single goal while Rodrigo Muniz is out for an extended period owing to a hamstring operation. Sessegnon must also needing to deliver in a creative role in place of Robinson, who registered 10 assists last season. The Cottagers' following four games take in three from the leading five plus Crystal Palace, who have allowed merely nine scores in the league this season. Trouble awaits for a side that have developed a reputation for mid-table stability.
Fulham against Sunderland, Saturday afternoon 3pm
5. Time for Alexander Isak to deliver for the Merseyside club
The debate regarding Virgil van Dijk's disallowed goal against Manchester City could not hide Liverpool's shortcomings in that game as they lost to a seventh defeat in ten matches. The manager's side need a consistent improvement to force their way into the league contest from here, as well as a major upturn in results, and a chance presents itself as seven out of their next 10 Premier League matches versus teams at the moment in the bottom ten of the table. The danger is obvious posed by Nottingham Forest, the sole side to hand a home league defeat to the title holders the previous campaign, yet it isn't solely Liverpool's performance versus direct play and fast breaks that will be under scrutiny. It is time that Alexander Isak to deliver for Liverpool. The £125m striker has not played for his club over four weeks having sustained a groin injury while his second consecutive start in quick succession in the Champions League victory abroad. The striker came back off the bench in the Swedish loss against Switzerland but sat out the subsequent dead rubber with Slovenia to secure his fitness for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. A caution in that match would have suspended him. The striker could be short of|lacking|deficient