Premier division: ten highlights to keep an eye on this round of fixtures
Garnacho versus Walker poised for a new encounter
A Manchester reunion might be in the offing when Burnley's Kyle Walker confronts Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho in Lancashire. The winger is adapting well at Stamford Bridge after his off-season signing from Old Trafford and displayed his talents versus Wolverhampton prior to the national team interval. His assist for Pedro Neto mixed rapid acceleration and a flawless low cross. His creation for Malo Gusto required shifting infield before dinking a cross across the goalmouth. His goal reaction with Neto, mirroring his previous hug with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, acted as a testament of the speed at which circumstances change. The previous occasion Garnacho faced Walker? Back when the former netted for United during their Wembley triumph over Manchester City.
Burnley vs Chelsea, Saturday 12.30pm (kick-offs GMT)
2. Semenyo crucial to stopping Cherries' slide
Antoine Semenyo is getting the full rumour-mill focus amid a claimed £65m release clause for his potential winter exit, the tabloids positioning him for advancement out of the Premier League's mid-table ranks. That is to be expected from a attacker with a half-dozen strikes and three helpers and is pleasurable to watch. However, his team are in an difficult situation, having undergone a form flip: it is the relegation battlers West Ham who arrive with consecutive triumphs, whereas Bournemouth are down seven to one over two games over their last two games after an impressive start to the season. Semenyo had his effort saved on the penalty by Emi Martínez in their four-nil loss by Aston Villa yet confronting a defence without a goalless game in the league since the start of the season could be the ideal tonic.
Bournemouth vs West Ham, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
3. Welbeck a surprise choice for England
It seemed intriguing to hear Thomas Tuchel mention Danny Welbeck multiple times throughout the international break even though the Brighton attacker celebrates 35 next week. “Despite not having met him, I understand what he could give me,” said the England boss. “He could serve as a back-up for Harry [Kane] playing a quite orthodox striker role.” Having won the final 42 international appearances in 2018, there is every chance that Welbeck might be in the squad to the World Cup provided he is able to continue his goal-getting performances. Once of Manchester United and Arsenal attacker has additional strikes over every other English performer in the Premier League this term having six and remains keen to increase that tally as Brighton host Brentford on Saturday.
Brighton vs Brentford, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
4. Sessegnon needed as creator and goalscorer
Sessegnon's story has offered a degree of positivity to Fulham's uneven opening. The left-sided player, who came back to his youth team in 2024 after five challenging years with Spurs, has become a regular starter, pushing forward on the left side due to the injury of the sidelined Antonee Robinson. The issue? With two goals, he's also their top goalscorer this season alongside Harry Wilson. Raúl Jiménez, their top scorer in the last term, has bagged a single goal while Rodrigo Muniz is unavailable for the long term owing to hamstring surgery. Additionally, Sessegnon having to step up as an assist provider instead of Robinson, who provided ten helpers in the previous campaign. Fulham's upcoming four games feature three of the top five plus Crystal Palace, who have conceded merely nine goals in the Premier League this season. Trouble awaits for the club that have developed a reputation for mid-table stability.
Fulham against Sunderland, Saturday afternoon 3pm
5. Time for The striker to produce for Liverpool
The debate about Virgil van Dijk's ruled-out strike versus Manchester City could not hide Liverpool's inferiority during the match as they fell to a seventh defeat in 10 games. The manager's side need a consistent improvement to force their way into the title race from this position, along with a major upturn in results, and a chance presents itself as seven from their following ten Premier League matches facing teams presently in the bottom ten in the league. The threat is evident from Nottingham Forest, the sole side to deliver a defeat on their own turf on the champions the previous campaign, however it's not just Liverpool's display when facing aerial passes and counterattacks that remains under the spotlight. The moment has come for Alexander Isak to perform wearing red. The £125m striker has been absent for his club in a month after picking up a muscle issue while his second start over a short period in Europe triumph abroad. Isak returned from the bench during Sweden's reverse against Switzerland but sat out the subsequent meaningless match against Slovenia to guarantee his fitness for next year's World Cup qualifiers. A booking during the game would have made him ineligible. The striker could be short of|lacking|deficient
