English top flight: ten highlights to keep an eye on this matchday
Walker faces Garnacho poised for a new encounter
Another northwest showdown may be in store as the Clarets' Kyle Walker lines up against the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho in Lancashire. The winger is finding his feet in west London after his off-season signing from Manchester United and demonstrated his skills in the Wolves match prior to the international break. His assist for Pedro Neto blended electric speed with a perfect along-the-deck delivery. His contribution for Malo Gusto involved shifting infield before lofting a delivery to the back post. His celebration with Neto, mirroring his previous hug with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, acted as a testament of how quickly circumstances change. The last time Garnacho faced Walker? During the youngster netted for United in their FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
Burnley against Chelsea, Saturday half past twelve (kick-offs GMT)
The winger vital to stopping Bournemouth's slump
Antoine Semenyo is receiving the complete rumour-mill focus due to a reported £65m release clause for his prospective mid-season move, the media positioning him for promotion out of the Premier League's average tier. This is understandable for a wide player with six finishes plus three helpers and remains joyous to watch. Nonetheless, his side are in an difficult spot, experiencing a role reversal: now it's the bottom-half team West Ham who come in with consecutive triumphs, whereas Bournemouth have been beaten seven to one combined in their previous two fixtures following an strong opening to the campaign. Semenyo was denied from the penalty spot by Emi Martínez in the 4-0 defeat to Aston Villa but confronting a defence lacking a clean sheet in the league since the start of the season could be the best tonic.
Bournemouth against West Ham, Saturday afternoon three o'clock
Danny Welbeck a surprise shout for England
It was intriguing to hear Thomas Tuchel mention Danny Welbeck repeatedly during the fixture pause despite the fact that the Brighton forward celebrates 35 in the coming days. “Without even having met him, I know what he could give me,” stated the England manager. “He could serve as a stand-in for Harry [Kane] playing a quite orthodox centre-forward role.” Earning the last of his 42 England games in 2018, it's entirely possible that Welbeck might be on the plane to the World Cup provided he is able to maintain his goalscoring feats. The former Manchester United and Arsenal forward has additional strikes compared to any English footballer in England's top division this campaign with six and is anxious to add to that count as Brighton host Brentford on Saturday.
Brighton against Brentford, Saturday three o'clock
The full-back crucial as creator and finisher
The narrative around Ryan Sessegnon has offered a measure of comfort to Fulham's inconsistent beginning. The former Tottenham man, who came back to his former side recently following five tough years at Tottenham, is now a first-team fixture, operating on the left with the sidelined Antonee Robinson. The issue? With two goals, he remains their top goalscorer this season together with Harry Wilson. Raúl Jiménez, their top scorer the previous campaign, has scored one goal while Rodrigo Muniz is out for the long term owing to a hamstring operation. Sessegnon is also being required to contribute as an assist provider in place of Robinson, who registered ten helpers in the previous campaign. The Cottagers' next four matches take in three of the top five and Crystal Palace, who have conceded merely nine goals in the league to date. Danger looms for the club that have built a reputation for mid-table stability.
Fulham vs Sunderland, Saturday 3pm
5. Time for Isak to produce for the Merseyside club
The dispute regarding Virgil van Dijk's chalked-off effort against Manchester City did not camouflage Liverpool's shortcomings on the day as they lost to their seventh loss in ten matches. The coach's side need a prolonged upturn to enter the title race from their current spot, along with a significant upturn in results, and the possibility emerges as seven from their upcoming ten league games against clubs currently in the lower half in the league. The risk is obvious posed by Nottingham Forest, the sole side to deliver a defeat on their own turf on the champions in the last term, yet it isn't solely Liverpool's performance when facing long balls and fast breaks that will be under the spotlight. Now is the occasion that Alexander Isak to show up for Liverpool. The £125m striker has been absent in domestic action for a month after picking up a muscle issue when making his second start over a short period in continental competition win in Germany. He reappeared off the bench in the Swedish loss against Switzerland but was rested Tuesday's dead rubber versus Slovenia to ensure his fitness for the upcoming World Cup knockout rounds. A booking during the game might have suspended him. He might be short of|lacking|deficient
