Premier division: 10 things to look out for this matchday
1. Garnacho and Walker poised for a fresh battle
A Manchester reunion might be in the offing when the Clarets' Kyle Walker lines up against Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho in Lancashire. The winger is adapting well with Chelsea following his off-season signing from Manchester United and demonstrated his skills in the Wolves match prior to the fixture pause. His assist for Pedro Neto combined blistering pace and a flawless along-the-deck delivery. His creation for Malo Gusto required moving onto his right before lofting a ball toward the far post. His celebration with Neto, echoing his earlier celebration with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, was a testament of how quickly things transform. The previous occasion Garnacho encountered Walker? When the youngster scored for United in their FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
Burnley vs Chelsea, Saturday afternoon 12.30pm (kick-offs GMT)
The winger crucial to ending Bournemouth's slide
Antoine Semenyo is attracting the entire gossip column treatment amid a reported £65m release clause for a prospective January departure, the media setting him up for promotion out of the Premier League's mid-table ranks. This is predictable for a wide player with six goals plus three helpers and remains joyous to watch. Still, his side find themselves in an difficult spot, having undergone a body swap: it is the struggling side West Ham who arrive on back-to-back victories, whereas Bournemouth have been beaten seven-one on aggregate 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 4-0 defeat to Aston Villa but facing a defensive unit lacking a goalless game in the league since the start of the season could be the ideal solution.
Bournemouth against West Ham, Saturday three o'clock
3. Welbeck a surprise choice for the Three Lions
It seemed interesting to hear Thomas Tuchel name-drop Danny Welbeck multiple times during the international break despite the fact that the Brighton attacker reaches 35 in the coming days. “Despite not being familiar with him, I know what he can give me,” commented the England coach. “He can be a back-up for Harry [Kane] playing a quite orthodox centre-forward role.” Gaining the final 42 international appearances several years ago, it's quite plausible that Welbeck might be selected to the World Cup assuming he manages to maintain his goalscoring performances. The former Manchester United and Arsenal forward boasts a greater tally compared to any English footballer in England's top division this term with six and will be anxious to add to that tally when Brighton welcome Brentford on Saturday.
Brighton against Brentford, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
Ryan Sessegnon crucial as assist provider and goalscorer
The Ryan Sessegnon tale has brought a measure of positivity to Fulham's bumpy start. The former Tottenham man, who rejoined his youth team recently following five difficult years at Tottenham, has emerged as a first-team fixture, operating on the left side in the absence of the injured Antonee Robinson. The concern? On two goals, he remains their top goalscorer in the Premier League alongside Harry Wilson. Raúl Jiménez, their leading man last season, has bagged one goal whereas Rodrigo Muniz is unavailable for an extended period owing to hamstring surgery. Sessegnon is also needing to deliver in a creative role instead of Robinson, who supplied ten helpers last time round. Fulham's upcoming four matches feature three of the best five and Crystal Palace, who have conceded only nine scores in the league so far. A threat emerges for a side that have earned a name for solidity in the central positions.
Fulham against Sunderland, Saturday three o'clock
The moment for The striker to produce for Liverpool
The controversy regarding Virgil van Dijk's ruled-out strike in the match with Manchester City could not hide Liverpool's inferiority in that game as they fell to loss number seven in 10 games. Arne Slot's squad must have a sustained recovery to muscle into the championship chase from their current spot, plus a major upturn in results, and opportunity arises with seven from their following ten league games facing teams currently in the bottom half in the league. The danger is obvious posed by Nottingham Forest, the sole side to deliver a home league defeat on the champions in the last term, but it is not only Liverpool's performance versus long balls and fast breaks that remains under the spotlight. It is time for Alexander Isak to show up wearing red. The £125m striker has been absent in domestic action for a month following a groin injury when making his second appearance in the lineup in four days in Europe win abroad. The striker came back as a substitute during Sweden's loss to Switzerland but was rested the midweek inconsequential game against Slovenia to secure his fitness for next year's World Cup qualifiers. A yellow card in that match might have ruled him out. Isak may be short of|lacking|deficient
