English top flight: ten key points to keep an eye on this matchday
Walker faces Garnacho ready for a new encounter
A Mancunian rematch might be in the offing as the Clarets' Kyle Walker faces Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho on Burnley's turf. The winger is adapting well at Stamford Bridge following his off-season signing from Manchester United and showcased his talents in the Wolves match before the international break. His assist for Pedro Neto combined blistering pace and a flawless grounded ball. His contribution for Malo Gusto involved moving onto his right prior to dinking a ball to the back post. His joyous moment with Neto, replicating his earlier celebration with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, acted as a testament of the speed at which circumstances change. The most recent instance Garnacho faced Walker? When the former found the net for United during their Wembley triumph against Manchester City.
Burnley against Chelsea, Saturday 12:30 PM (all times GMT)
Antoine Semenyo crucial to ending Bournemouth's slide
Antoine Semenyo is getting the complete transfer speculation treatment following a reported £65m release clause for a possible mid-season move, the media preparing him for promotion from the Premier League's average tier. This is predictable from a wide player who has six finishes plus three helpers and is joyous to watch. Nonetheless, Bournemouth find themselves in an awkward situation, having undergone a body swap: it is the bottom-half team West Ham who enter on back-to-back victories, while Bournemouth are down 7-1 combined over their past two games after an impressive beginning to the season. Semenyo saw his attempt stopped from the spot by Emi Martínez in the 4-0 defeat by Aston Villa but confronting a defensive unit without a shutout for months might be the perfect tonic.
Bournemouth vs West Ham, Saturday afternoon 3pm
3. Welbeck a left-field option for the Three Lions
It was interesting to hear Thomas Tuchel name-drop Danny Welbeck on more than one occasion throughout the national team window even though the Brighton forward reaches 35 in the coming days. “Despite not being familiar with him, I understand what he is able to offer me,” stated the England coach. “He can be a stand-in for Harry [Kane] playing a quite orthodox No 9 position.” Having won the last of his 42 England games in 2018, there is every chance that Welbeck may be in the squad to the World Cup if he is able to sustain his scoring exploits. The former Manchester United and Arsenal attacker has a greater tally than any other English performer in the top flight this season having six and remains eager to boost that total when Brighton entertain Brentford in Saturday's match.
Brighton versus Brentford, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
Ryan Sessegnon required as playmaker and finisher
Sessegnon's story has brought a measure of positivity to Fulham's bumpy start. The former Tottenham man, who came back to his youth team last year after five challenging years at Tottenham, is now a consistent pick, driving down the left due to the injury of the unavailable Antonee Robinson. The worry? With two goals, he's also their joint-top scorer in the league alongside Harry Wilson. The Mexican striker, their top scorer the previous campaign, has netted once whereas Rodrigo Muniz is unavailable for an extended period because of hamstring surgery. Sessegnon must also being required to contribute in a creative role instead of Robinson, who supplied ten setups last season. Fulham's following four games take in three among the leading five and Crystal Palace, who have conceded merely nine strikes in the Premier League so far. Trouble awaits for a team that have developed a standing for solidity in the central positions.
Fulham vs Sunderland, Saturday afternoon three o'clock
The occasion for Isak to deliver for the Reds
The dispute about Virgil van Dijk's chalked-off effort in the match with Manchester City could not hide Liverpool's deficiencies during the match as they lost to their seventh loss in 10 games. The manager's side need a sustained recovery to enter the title race from their current spot, along with a dramatic upturn in results, and opportunity emerges as seven from their upcoming ten top-flight fixtures facing teams at the moment in the lower half in the league. The danger is obvious from Nottingham Forest, the only team to deliver a home league defeat to the title holders the previous campaign, yet it isn't solely Liverpool's showing against aerial passes and counterattacks that remains in focus. The moment has come for Alexander Isak to deliver for Liverpool. The big-money forward has not featured in domestic action for a month following a muscle issue while his second appearance in the lineup over a short period in continental competition victory at Eintracht Frankfurt. Isak returned off the bench during Sweden's loss against Switzerland but was rested the midweek meaningless match against Slovenia to secure his readiness for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. A caution in that match might have ruled him out. The striker could be short of|lacking|deficient
