Premier division: ten highlights to watch for this weekend
1. Garnacho and Walker poised for a new clash
Another northwest showdown may be in the offing as the Clarets' Kyle Walker lines up against the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho in Lancashire. The winger has started to settle in west London after his summer move from Old Trafford and showcased his abilities against Wolves before the fixture pause. His assist for Pedro Neto blended rapid acceleration with a flawless grounded ball. His creation for Malo Gusto involved cutting inside before lofting a delivery across the goalmouth. His celebration with Neto, replicating his previous embrace with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, acted as a testament of how quickly things transform. The most recent instance Garnacho took on Walker? During the youngster scored for United in the cup final win against Manchester City.
Burnley vs Chelsea, Saturday afternoon 12:30 PM (start times GMT)
2. Semenyo key to ending Cherries' slump
Antoine Semenyo is getting the complete gossip column attention following a claimed £65m escape clause for a possible January departure, the tabloids preparing him for advancement from the Premier League's average tier. That is to be expected for a winger with six goals and three assists who is joyous to watch. Nonetheless, his team find themselves in an tricky position, having undergone a role reversal: it is the struggling side West Ham who arrive on successive wins, whereas Bournemouth are down seven-one over two games over their last two matches following an strong start to the season. Semenyo was denied from the penalty spot by Emi Martínez during the heavy loss to Aston Villa however confronting a defence without a shutout since August could be the ideal tonic.
Bournemouth against West Ham, Saturday 3:00 PM
3. Welbeck a surprise option for England
It proved notable to listen to Thomas Tuchel name-drop Danny Welbeck repeatedly throughout the fixture pause although the Brighton striker celebrates 35 next week. “Without even being familiar with him, I am aware what he can provide,” commented the England manager. “He might act as a stand-in for Harry [Kane] in a quite conventional centre-forward role.” Having won the last of his 42 caps back in 2018, it's quite plausible that Welbeck might be in the squad for the World Cup assuming he manages to continue his scoring exploits. Once of Manchester United and Arsenal forward can claim additional strikes over every other English performer in the top flight this season on six and will be eager to increase that count as Brighton welcome Brentford in Saturday's match.
Brighton versus Brentford, Saturday afternoon three o'clock
Ryan Sessegnon crucial as creator and scorer
The Ryan Sessegnon tale has offered some warmth to Fulham's inconsistent opening. The former Tottenham man, who rejoined his youth team recently following five difficult years in north London, has emerged as a consistent pick, driving down the left flank due to the injury of the sidelined Antonee Robinson. The worry? Having scored twice, he is their joint-top scorer this season together with Harry Wilson. Their main striker, their top scorer the previous campaign, has bagged one goal whereas Rodrigo Muniz is unavailable until 2026 due to a hamstring operation. Sessegnon is also having to step up in a creative role instead of Robinson, who supplied ten helpers last time round. Fulham's next four fixtures take in three among the top five plus Crystal Palace, who have let in just nine scores in the league to date. Trouble awaits for the club that have earned a reputation for consistency in the middle.
Fulham vs Sunderland, Saturday three o'clock
5. Time for Isak to deliver for Liverpool
The dispute about Virgil van Dijk's ruled-out strike against Manchester City failed to mask Liverpool's deficiencies during the match as they succumbed to loss number seven in 10 games. The coach's team need a sustained recovery to force their way into the title race from here, plus a dramatic upturn in results, and opportunity emerges as seven out of their following ten top-flight fixtures versus sides at the moment in the bottom ten in the league. The danger is clear posed by Nottingham Forest, the single club to inflict a loss at Anfield on the champions last season, yet it isn't solely Liverpool's performance against long balls and counterattacks that will be under the spotlight. The moment has come that Alexander Isak to deliver in a Liverpool shirt. The £125m striker has been absent in domestic action for a month having sustained a muscle issue while his second start in quick succession in Europe victory abroad. He reappeared off the bench during Sweden's loss against Switzerland but was rested Tuesday's meaningless match versus Slovenia to ensure his availability for next year's World Cup playoffs. A booking on Tuesday would have ruled him out. He might be short of|lacking|deficient
