English top flight: ten key points to watch for this weekend
Walker faces Garnacho ready for a fresh battle
Another northwest showdown could be in store as Burnley's Kyle Walker lines up against the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho in Lancashire. The winger is adapting well at Stamford Bridge following his summer move from Manchester United and showcased his abilities against Wolves prior to the fixture pause. His assist for Pedro Neto mixed electric speed and a ideal low cross. His creation for Malo Gusto involved shifting infield prior to dinking a cross to the back post. His celebration with Neto, mirroring his prior hug with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, served as a testament of the speed at which situations evolve. The last time Garnacho encountered Walker? During the Argentine found the net for United in their FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
Burnley against Chelsea, Saturday half past twelve (all times GMT)
2. Semenyo vital to stopping Bournemouth's decline
Antoine Semenyo is getting the entire rumour-mill attention amid a alleged £65m buyout clause for his potential winter exit, the gossip columns setting him up for promotion out of the Premier League's average tier. It is predictable for a wide player with six goals plus three setups and remains joyous to watch. Nonetheless, his side find themselves in an awkward position, having undergone a body swap: it is the bottom-half team West Ham who enter on back-to-back victories, whereas Bournemouth are down seven-one on aggregate over their past two fixtures following an strong start to the season. Semenyo had his effort saved on the penalty by Emi Martínez during the heavy loss to Aston Villa but facing a defence lacking a goalless game in the league since the start of the season may prove the perfect remedy.
Bournemouth vs West Ham, Saturday afternoon three o'clock
Danny Welbeck a left-field shout for England
It seemed notable to listen to Thomas Tuchel name-drop Danny Welbeck repeatedly throughout the national team window although the Brighton attacker celebrates 35 next week. “Despite not knowing him, I know what he can give me,” stated the England coach. “He might act as a reserve for Harry [Kane] playing a quite orthodox striker role.” Earning the most recent of his 42 international appearances in 2018, there is every chance that Welbeck may be in the squad for the World Cup assuming he manages to maintain his goalscoring performances. Once of Manchester United and Arsenal striker boasts additional strikes over every other English footballer in England's top division this term with six and is keen to boost that count as Brighton host Brentford this weekend.
Brighton vs Brentford, Saturday 3pm
4. Sessegnon required as assist provider and finisher
The Ryan Sessegnon tale has provided some comfort to Fulham's inconsistent opening. The 25-year-old, who came back to his youth team recently after five difficult years in north London, has emerged as a first-team fixture, operating on the left flank due to the injury of the unavailable Antonee Robinson. The issue? On two goals, he is their joint-top scorer this season together with Harry Wilson. Raúl Jiménez, their primary attacker in the last term, has scored one goal whereas Rodrigo Muniz is injured for an extended period owing to a surgical procedure. Sessegnon is also having to step up in a creative role replacing Robinson, who supplied 10 assists in the previous campaign. The Cottagers' upcoming four matches include three among the leading five and Crystal Palace, who have let in just nine goals in the league this season. Trouble awaits for a side that have earned a reputation for consistency in the middle.
Fulham vs Sunderland, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
The moment for Isak to deliver for Liverpool
The debate about Virgil van Dijk's ruled-out strike versus Manchester City could not hide Liverpool's inferiority during the match as they lost to a seventh defeat over ten fixtures. The coach's side must have a prolonged upturn to muscle into the league contest from their current spot, plus a dramatic boost in performance, and a chance emerges with seven from their following ten league games facing sides currently in the lower half in the standings. The threat is obvious from Nottingham Forest, the single club to deliver a home league defeat to Liverpool last season, however it's not just Liverpool's display versus direct play and fast breaks that remains under scrutiny. The moment has come that Alexander Isak to perform in a Liverpool shirt. The £125m striker has been absent for his club for a month after picking up a groin injury while his second start in quick succession in continental competition triumph at Eintracht Frankfurt. The striker came back from the bench in the Swedish reverse by Switzerland but was rested the midweek meaningless match against Slovenia to guarantee his readiness for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. A yellow card during the game could have made him ineligible. He might be short of|lacking|deficient
