English top flight: ten key points to watch for this matchday
Walker faces Garnacho set for a new encounter
A Mancunian rematch may be in the offing when the Clarets' Kyle Walker faces Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho in Lancashire. The wide man has started to settle in west London following his summer move from Manchester United and demonstrated his abilities against Wolves prior to the fixture pause. His setup for Pedro Neto combined rapid acceleration with a flawless grounded ball. His contribution for Malo Gusto required moving onto his right before chipping a delivery across the goalmouth. His joyous moment with Neto, replicating his earlier embrace with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, served as a reminder of how quickly things transform. The most recent instance Garnacho faced Walker? Back when the former scored for United in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
Burnley against Chelsea, Saturday afternoon 12.30pm (start times GMT)
2. Semenyo vital to ending Cherries' slide
Antoine Semenyo is getting the full rumour-mill attention following a reported £65m buyout clause for his prospective mid-season move, the media positioning him for graduation out of the Premier League's average tier. It is predictable from a wide player who has a half-dozen strikes plus three setups and is delightful to watch. Nonetheless, his side occupy an awkward situation, having engaged in a form flip: now it's the bottom-half team West Ham who enter on back-to-back victories, while Bournemouth have lost seven-one on aggregate in their previous two fixtures following an impressive opening to the campaign. Semenyo had his effort saved on the penalty by Emi Martínez in the four-nil loss by Aston Villa yet confronting a backline lacking a shutout since August might be the best tonic.
Bournemouth versus West Ham, Saturday three o'clock
3. Welbeck an outside choice for the Three Lions
It was intriguing to hear Thomas Tuchel name-drop Danny Welbeck multiple times during the fixture pause despite the fact that the Brighton attacker celebrates 35 in the coming days. “Even without having met him, I understand what he can provide,” stated the England manager. “He might act as a reserve for Harry [Kane] playing a quite orthodox centre-forward position.” Earning the last of his 42 England games in 2018, there is every chance that Welbeck may be selected to the World Cup provided he manages to continue his goal-getting feats. Once of Manchester United and Arsenal striker boasts more goals than any other English player in England's top division this season on six and will be eager to add to that count when Brighton welcome Brentford this weekend.
Brighton against Brentford, Saturday afternoon 3pm
The full-back required as creator and scorer
Sessegnon's story has brought some comfort to Fulham's inconsistent opening. The 25-year-old, who rejoined his youth team last year following five challenging years with Spurs, has become a consistent pick, operating on the left flank in the absence of the unavailable Antonee Robinson. The issue? On two goals, he's also their top goalscorer this season together with Harry Wilson. The Mexican striker, their primary attacker the previous campaign, has scored one goal while Rodrigo Muniz is unavailable for the long term because of hamstring surgery. Additionally, Sessegnon being required to contribute as an assist provider instead of Robinson, who provided ten helpers in the previous campaign. The Cottagers' next four matches take in three of the leading five and Crystal Palace, who have let in merely nine strikes in the league so far. A threat emerges for a side that have earned a standing for solidity in the central positions.
Fulham versus Sunderland, Saturday afternoon 3pm
The moment for The striker to deliver for the Merseyside club
The dispute surrounding Virgil van Dijk's chalked-off effort against Manchester City could not hide Liverpool's inferiority on the day as they succumbed to their seventh loss in 10 games. The coach's side require a consistent improvement to enter the title race from their current spot, plus a significant upturn in results, and a chance emerges with seven of their following ten top-flight fixtures facing sides currently in the bottom ten in the league. The threat is clear from Nottingham Forest, the sole side to hand a loss at Anfield to Liverpool in the last term, however it's not just Liverpool's display against aerial passes and fast breaks that is in focus. The moment has come that Alexander Isak to show up wearing red. The expensive signing has not played at club level for a month after picking up a muscle issue while his second consecutive start over a short period in continental competition victory at Eintracht Frankfurt. The striker came back as a substitute in the Swedish loss by Switzerland but missed the midweek inconsequential game with Slovenia to ensure his fitness for the World Cup knockout rounds. A caution on Tuesday could have made him ineligible. He might be short of|lacking|deficient