Premier League: ten highlights to look out for this weekend


1. Garnacho and Walker set for a new battle

Another northwest showdown may be in store as the Clarets' Kyle Walker confronts Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho on Burnley's turf. The winger has started to settle in west London following his off-season signing from the Red Devils and demonstrated his skills against Wolves before the international break. His setup for Pedro Neto combined electric speed and a flawless grounded ball. His contribution for Malo Gusto required moving onto his right before lofting a delivery across the goalmouth. His joyous moment with Neto, echoing his previous embrace with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, served as a testament of how quickly things transform. The most recent instance Garnacho faced Walker? When the former netted for United during their cup final win over Manchester City.

Burnley vs Chelsea, Saturday 12:30 PM (start times GMT)


Antoine Semenyo crucial to stopping Cherries' slide

Antoine Semenyo is attracting the entire transfer speculation attention amid a claimed £65m escape clause for a prospective January departure, the media positioning him for advancement out of the Premier League's average tier. This is predictable from a winger who has six goals plus three assists who is delightful to watch. Still, Bournemouth are in an tricky position, having undergone a body swap: it is the bottom-half team West Ham who arrive with consecutive triumphs, whereas Bournemouth have lost seven-one on aggregate over their past two matches after an promising opening to the campaign. Semenyo had his effort saved from the penalty spot by Emi Martínez during the heavy loss by Aston Villa however confronting a backline lacking a clean sheet since August might be the ideal solution.

Bournemouth vs West Ham, Saturday three o'clock


The striker a surprise option for the national team

It was interesting to listen to Thomas Tuchel name-drop Danny Welbeck repeatedly throughout the fixture pause despite the fact that the Brighton attacker turns 35 next week. “Even without knowing him, I am aware what he is able to give me,” commented the England boss. “He can be a reserve for Harry [Kane] in a quite orthodox No 9 position.” Earning the most recent of his 42 international appearances in 2018, it's quite plausible that Welbeck might be in the squad to the World Cup provided he manages to sustain his goalscoring feats. The ex- Manchester United and Arsenal forward boasts more goals over every other English player in the top flight this season having six and is keen to boost that tally as Brighton welcome Brentford on Saturday.

Brighton vs Brentford, Saturday three o'clock


The full-back needed as assist provider and goalscorer

The Ryan Sessegnon tale has brought a degree of warmth to Fulham's bumpy opening. The former Tottenham man, who came back to his youth team last year following five tough years with Spurs, has emerged as a first-team fixture, operating on the left side in the absence of the unavailable Antonee Robinson. The issue? With two goals, he is their top goalscorer in the Premier League as well as Harry Wilson. Their main striker, their primary attacker last season, has bagged one goal whereas Rodrigo Muniz is unavailable for the long term because of a surgical procedure. Additionally, Sessegnon having to step up in a creative role instead of Robinson, who provided ten setups in the previous campaign. Fulham's next four matches include three of the best five as well as Crystal Palace, who have allowed only nine strikes in the Premier League so far. A threat emerges for a team that have earned a name for solidity in the central positions.

Fulham vs Sunderland, Saturday 3pm


5. Time for Alexander Isak to perform for Liverpool

The debate regarding Virgil van Dijk's ruled-out strike versus Manchester City did not camouflage Liverpool's deficiencies on the day as they fell to their seventh loss in 10 games. The coach's side require a sustained recovery to enter the championship chase from here, along with a dramatic improvement in form, and the possibility emerges as seven out of their next 10 top-flight fixtures facing clubs at the moment in the bottom half of the table. The threat is evident posed by Nottingham Forest, the only team to deliver a loss at Anfield to the title holders in the last term, but it is not only Liverpool's display when facing direct play and fast breaks that will be under the spotlight. The moment has come for Alexander Isak to deliver wearing red. The £125m striker has not played for his club over four weeks having sustained a groin injury when making his second appearance in the lineup over a short period in continental competition triumph at Eintracht Frankfurt. The striker came back as a substitute during Sweden's defeat by Switzerland but sat out the subsequent meaningless match versus Slovenia to guarantee his readiness for the World Cup playoffs. A yellow card on Tuesday would have made him ineligible. He might be short of|lacking|deficient

Erica Rice
Erica Rice

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