Premier division: ten key points to watch for this matchday
1. Garnacho and Walker poised for a fresh encounter
A Manchester reunion could be in the offing as the Clarets' Kyle Walker confronts Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho at Turf Moor. The attacker is finding his feet with Chelsea after his summer move from Old Trafford and demonstrated his skills in the Wolves match before the national team interval. His setup for Pedro Neto blended blistering pace with a perfect low cross. His creation for Malo Gusto entailed cutting inside before chipping a cross to the back post. His joyous moment with Neto, mirroring his prior embrace with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, served as a testament of how quickly things transform. The last time Garnacho encountered Walker? During the youngster scored for United in their FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
Burnley versus Chelsea, Saturday afternoon 12.30pm (kick-offs GMT)
2. Semenyo key to halting Bournemouth's decline
Antoine Semenyo is receiving the entire rumour-mill treatment amid a claimed £65m buyout clause for his prospective mid-season move, the tabloids setting him up for promotion from the Premier League's mid-table ranks. This is to be expected from a wide player with six finishes plus three setups who is delightful to watch. However, his team find themselves in an difficult situation, having engaged in a body swap: now it's the relegation battlers West Ham who enter with back-to-back victories, whereas Bournemouth are down 7-1 combined in their previous two matches after an promising opening to the season. Semenyo saw his attempt stopped on the penalty by Emi Martínez in their 4-0 defeat to Aston Villa yet facing a defence that hasn't kept a clean sheet for months could be the ideal tonic.
Bournemouth versus West Ham, Saturday 3:00 PM
3. Welbeck a surprise shout for the Three Lions
It was notable to hear Thomas Tuchel mention Danny Welbeck on more than one occasion during the international break despite the fact that the Brighton forward reaches 35 in the coming days. “Without even having met him, I understand what he could offer me,” said the England boss. “He could serve as a reserve for Harry [Kane] in a quite orthodox centre-forward position.” Gaining the most recent of his 42 England games in 2018, it's quite plausible that Welbeck could be on the plane for the World Cup if he is able to continue his scoring feats. The ex- Manchester United and Arsenal forward has more goals compared to any English performer in the Premier League this season having six and is anxious to increase that count when Brighton host Brentford in Saturday's match.
Brighton vs Brentford, Saturday afternoon three o'clock
The full-back needed as assist provider and scorer
The Ryan Sessegnon tale has provided a measure of positivity to Fulham's uneven beginning. The former Tottenham man, who came back to his youth team last year after five challenging years at Tottenham, has become a regular starter, driving down the left with the sidelined Antonee Robinson. The worry? On two goals, he's also their joint-top scorer this season alongside Harry Wilson. Raúl Jiménez, their leading man in the last term, has bagged one goal whereas Rodrigo Muniz is unavailable for the long term due to hamstring surgery. Additionally, Sessegnon being required to contribute as a creator instead of Robinson, who supplied 10 assists in the previous campaign. The Cottagers' next four games include three from the best five and Crystal Palace, who have allowed only nine scores in the Premier League this season. Trouble awaits for a team that have built a name for mid-table stability.
Fulham vs Sunderland, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
5. Time for Alexander Isak to produce for the Merseyside club
The controversy surrounding Virgil van Dijk's ruled-out strike versus Manchester City did not camouflage Liverpool's inferiority in that game as they succumbed to a seventh defeat in ten matches. The manager's squad need a sustained recovery to force their way into the championship chase from their current spot, plus a major upturn in results, and opportunity arises with seven from their next 10 league games facing sides currently in the lower half in the standings. The threat is obvious from Nottingham Forest, the sole side to inflict a loss at Anfield on the champions the previous campaign, but it is not only Liverpool's display versus aerial passes and quick transitions that remains under the spotlight. It is time that Alexander Isak to show up in a Liverpool shirt. The big-money forward has not played for his club over four weeks after picking up a groin problem while his second appearance in the lineup in quick succession in continental competition victory in Germany. He reappeared as a substitute in Sweden's reverse against Switzerland but sat out the subsequent meaningless match against Slovenia to ensure his fitness for next year's World Cup qualifiers. A caution in that match would have made him ineligible. The striker could be short of|lacking|deficient
