Premier League: 10 things to watch for this matchday
1. Garnacho and Walker poised for another encounter
A Manchester reunion might be in the offing as Burnley's Kyle Walker confronts the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho in Lancashire. The wide man has started to settle in west London after his summer move from Old Trafford and demonstrated his abilities against Wolves before the international break. His setup for Pedro Neto blended rapid acceleration and a perfect low cross. His creation for Malo Gusto involved moving onto his right prior to chipping a ball across the goalmouth. His joyous moment with Neto, mirroring his prior celebration with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, acted as a reminder of the pace with which situations evolve. The most recent instance Garnacho faced Walker? Back when the Argentine netted for United in their Wembley triumph against Manchester City.
Burnley versus Chelsea, Saturday afternoon 12:30 PM (all times GMT)
The winger crucial to stopping Bournemouth's slump
Antoine Semenyo is getting the entire gossip column focus amid a reported £65m release clause for his prospective winter exit, the media preparing him for advancement out of the Premier League's mid-table ranks. This is to be expected for a attacker with six finishes and three setups and is delightful to watch. Still, his side find themselves in an difficult situation, having undergone a form flip: it is the bottom-half team West Ham who arrive with consecutive triumphs, whereas Bournemouth have been beaten seven to one on aggregate in their previous two games following an impressive start to the season. Semenyo had his effort saved from the penalty spot by Emi Martínez in their heavy loss to Aston Villa yet taking on a defence lacking a goalless game in the league since the start of the season could be the best remedy.
Bournemouth against West Ham, Saturday afternoon three o'clock
The striker a surprise shout for the national team
It was interesting to hear Thomas Tuchel reference Danny Welbeck repeatedly throughout the international break even though the Brighton attacker turns 35 in the coming days. “Without even being familiar with him, I understand what he could offer me,” stated the England boss. “He might act as a reserve for Harry [Kane] playing a quite traditional No 9 role.” Earning the most recent of his 42 caps in 2018, it's entirely possible that Welbeck could be in the squad to the World Cup if he can continue his goalscoring feats. The former Manchester United and Arsenal forward can claim additional strikes over every other English footballer in the Premier League this campaign having six and is anxious to add to that total when Brighton welcome Brentford on Saturday.
Brighton versus Brentford, Saturday 3:00 PM
Ryan Sessegnon needed as creator and finisher
The narrative around Ryan Sessegnon has provided some positivity to Fulham's inconsistent beginning. The left-sided player, who rejoined his boyhood club recently after five challenging years in north London, is now a first-team fixture, operating on the left due to the injury of the sidelined Antonee Robinson. The worry? On two goals, he is their leading marksman in the Premier League alongside Harry Wilson. Their main striker, their primary attacker in the last term, has scored a single goal while Rodrigo Muniz is unavailable until 2026 owing to hamstring surgery. Sessegnon is also being required to contribute as an assist provider instead of Robinson, who provided ten helpers last season. The Cottagers' next four matches take in three of the leading five as well as Crystal Palace, who have conceded only nine strikes in the Premier League to date. A threat emerges for the club that have earned a standing for consistency in the middle.
Fulham against Sunderland, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
The occasion for Isak to perform for the Reds
The dispute regarding Virgil van Dijk's disallowed goal versus Manchester City failed to mask Liverpool's shortcomings during the match as they succumbed to their seventh loss in ten matches. The manager's team require a consistent improvement to muscle into the league contest from this position, as well as a dramatic boost in performance, and opportunity emerges as seven of their following ten Premier League matches facing teams presently in the bottom ten in the league. The threat is evident posed by Nottingham Forest, the only team to hand a defeat on their own turf to the title holders the previous campaign, but it is not only Liverpool's showing when facing long balls and quick transitions that remains under the spotlight. Now is the occasion for Alexander Isak to perform for Liverpool. The £125m striker has been absent in domestic action in a month having sustained a groin injury while his second appearance in the lineup over a short period in continental competition victory at Eintracht Frankfurt. Isak returned from the bench in the Swedish defeat by Switzerland but was rested the subsequent inconsequential game against Slovenia to guarantee his readiness for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. A caution on Tuesday might have ruled him out. He might be short of|lacking|deficient
