Premier League: ten highlights to keep an eye on this weekend
Walker faces Garnacho ready for another battle
A Manchester reunion could be in the offing as Burnley's Kyle Walker confronts the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho at Turf Moor. The winger is adapting well in west London following his off-season signing from the Red Devils and showcased his skills in the Wolves match prior to the fixture pause. His assist for Pedro Neto mixed rapid acceleration and a perfect along-the-deck delivery. His creation for Malo Gusto entailed moving onto his right before lofting a ball toward the far post. His joyous moment with Neto, echoing his previous hug with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, acted as a reminder of how quickly things transform. The previous occasion Garnacho faced Walker? Back when the former found the net for United during their cup final win over Manchester City.
Burnley versus Chelsea, Saturday afternoon 12:30 PM (all times GMT)
The winger crucial to halting Cherries' decline
Antoine Semenyo is attracting the complete gossip column treatment following a claimed £65m buyout clause for a possible mid-season move, the tabloids setting him up for advancement out of the Premier League's middle class. This is to be expected from a attacker who has six finishes plus three setups who is joyous to watch. However, Bournemouth are in an difficult situation, experiencing a form flip: now it's the struggling side West Ham who arrive on consecutive triumphs, while Bournemouth have lost 7-1 over two games in their past two fixtures after an impressive opening to the season. Semenyo saw his attempt stopped from the penalty spot by Emi Martínez in the heavy loss by Aston Villa but facing a defence that hasn't kept a clean sheet in the league since the start of the season might be the ideal solution.
Bournemouth versus West Ham, Saturday 3pm
3. Welbeck a left-field choice for England
It seemed intriguing to listen to Thomas Tuchel mention Danny Welbeck multiple times during the fixture pause even though the Brighton attacker reaches 35 in the coming days. “Without even knowing him, I know what he could give me,” said the England coach. “He can be a stand-in for Harry [Kane] playing a very orthodox centre-forward position.” Having won the most recent of his 42 caps back in 2018, it's entirely possible that Welbeck may be on the plane for the World Cup provided he is able to sustain his scoring feats. The former Manchester United and Arsenal attacker can claim additional strikes over every other English player in the top flight this campaign having six and remains anxious to increase that count as Brighton welcome Brentford on Saturday.
Brighton versus Brentford, Saturday 3pm
Ryan Sessegnon required as playmaker and scorer
The Ryan Sessegnon tale has brought a degree of warmth to Fulham's bumpy start. The left-sided player, who rejoined his boyhood club recently following five challenging years in north London, has become a first-team fixture, operating on the left side due to the injury of the unavailable Antonee Robinson. The issue? With two goals, he's also their joint-top scorer this season alongside Harry Wilson. Their main striker, their top scorer last season, has bagged once whereas Rodrigo Muniz is unavailable until 2026 owing to a hamstring operation. Additionally, Sessegnon needing to deliver as a creator in place of Robinson, who provided 10 assists last time round. The Cottagers' next four fixtures take in three from the top five as well as Crystal Palace, who have conceded only nine scores in the Premier League this season. Danger looms for a team that have built a name for solidity in the central positions.
Fulham against Sunderland, Saturday 3pm
The moment for The striker to perform for Liverpool
The controversy surrounding Virgil van Dijk's chalked-off effort in the match with Manchester City did not camouflage Liverpool's shortcomings in that game as they fell to a seventh defeat in 10 games. Arne Slot's side must have a consistent improvement to force their way into the title race from their current spot, along with a dramatic upturn in results, and opportunity arises as seven out of their next 10 Premier League matches versus clubs currently in the bottom ten of the table. The risk is obvious from Nottingham Forest, the sole side to inflict a loss at Anfield to the title holders last season, but it is not only Liverpool's display when facing aerial passes and fast breaks that is under scrutiny. Now is the occasion for Alexander Isak to perform in a Liverpool shirt. The big-money forward has not featured for his club over four weeks having sustained a groin injury when making his second start over a short period in continental competition win at Eintracht Frankfurt. The striker came back as a substitute in Sweden's loss by Switzerland but sat out Tuesday's dead rubber against Slovenia to ensure his fitness for the World Cup knockout rounds. A caution on Tuesday could have suspended him. He might be short of|lacking|deficient
