Premier League: ten key points to watch for this weekend
Walker faces Garnacho ready for a new encounter
A Mancunian rematch may be on the cards when the Clarets' Kyle Walker lines up against the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho in Lancashire. The wide man is finding his feet with Chelsea following his close-season transfer from Manchester United and displayed his abilities in the Wolves match before the fixture pause. His assist for Pedro Neto mixed rapid acceleration with a ideal low cross. His creation for Malo Gusto entailed cutting inside prior to chipping a cross across the goalmouth. His celebration with Neto, mirroring his earlier celebration with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, acted as a testament of the pace with which situations evolve. The most recent instance Garnacho encountered Walker? During the youngster scored for United in their Wembley triumph against Manchester City.
Burnley against Chelsea, Saturday 12:30 PM (all times GMT)
The winger crucial to ending Cherries' decline
Antoine Semenyo is getting the entire rumour-mill treatment following a alleged £65m escape clause for his potential winter exit, the tabloids preparing him for graduation from the Premier League's average tier. This is to be expected for a wide player with six finishes and three assists who is delightful to watch. Still, his team find themselves in an tricky spot, having engaged in a form flip: now it's the struggling side West Ham who arrive on back-to-back victories, while Bournemouth have lost 7-1 combined over their past two matches after an promising start to the season. Semenyo saw his attempt stopped on the penalty by Emi Martínez in the four-nil loss to Aston Villa however facing a defence without a clean sheet for months might be the ideal remedy.
Bournemouth vs West Ham, Saturday afternoon three o'clock
Danny Welbeck an outside shout for the Three Lions
It seemed notable to hear Thomas Tuchel mention Danny Welbeck on more than one occasion throughout the fixture pause although the Brighton attacker celebrates 35 in the coming days. “Despite not being familiar with him, I am aware what he is able to give me,” stated the England manager. “He could serve as a back-up for Harry [Kane] in a very orthodox striker role.” Earning the most recent of his 42 caps in 2018, it's entirely possible that Welbeck might be selected for the World Cup if he manages to sustain his goal-getting performances. Once of Manchester United and Arsenal forward has more goals over every other English performer in the Premier League this campaign with six and is eager to increase that count when Brighton welcome Brentford on Saturday.
Brighton vs Brentford, Saturday afternoon 3pm
The full-back crucial as creator and scorer
The narrative around Ryan Sessegnon has brought a measure of comfort to Fulham's uneven opening. The former Tottenham man, who came back to his youth team recently after five challenging years at Tottenham, has emerged as a first-team fixture, pushing forward on the left flank in the absence of the unavailable Antonee Robinson. The issue? On two goals, he remains their joint-top scorer in the Premier League together with Harry Wilson. Their main striker, their primary attacker last season, has netted a single goal while Rodrigo Muniz is injured for an extended period because of hamstring surgery. Sessegnon must also needing to deliver as an assist provider instead of Robinson, who provided ten setups in the previous campaign. Fulham's next four games feature three among the leading five and Crystal Palace, who have allowed only nine strikes this season to date. Trouble awaits for a side that have built a reputation for solidity in the central positions.
Fulham against Sunderland, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
The moment for Alexander Isak to deliver for the Reds
The controversy regarding Virgil van Dijk's ruled-out strike versus Manchester City could not hide Liverpool's deficiencies on the day as they succumbed to a seventh defeat in 10 games. The manager's side need a sustained recovery to enter the title race from here, plus a major boost in performance, and opportunity presents itself as seven from their next 10 top-flight fixtures against teams currently in the bottom half in the standings. The risk is clear from Nottingham Forest, the only team to inflict a home league defeat to Liverpool the previous campaign, yet it isn't solely Liverpool's showing against long balls and quick transitions that will be in focus. It is time that Alexander Isak to deliver wearing red. The expensive signing has not played for his club for a month after picking up a groin problem when making his second appearance in the lineup over a short period in continental competition win abroad. The striker came back off the bench in the Swedish reverse to Switzerland but sat out the subsequent inconsequential game against Slovenia to secure his readiness for the upcoming World Cup knockout rounds. A yellow card on Tuesday could have suspended him. The striker could be short of|lacking|deficient
