English top flight: 10 things to keep an eye on this round of fixtures
1. Garnacho and Walker ready for another battle
A Mancunian rematch could be in store as the Clarets' Kyle Walker confronts the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho at Turf Moor. The winger is finding his feet with Chelsea after his close-season transfer from Old Trafford and showcased his abilities in the Wolves match before the fixture pause. His assist for Pedro Neto mixed rapid acceleration and a perfect along-the-deck delivery. His contribution for Malo Gusto required shifting infield prior to lofting a cross toward the far post. His joyous moment with Neto, replicating his previous celebration with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, acted as a indication of the pace with which things transform. The previous occasion Garnacho took on Walker? Back when the former netted for United in their Wembley triumph against Manchester City.
Burnley versus Chelsea, Saturday afternoon 12.30pm (kick-offs GMT)
The winger crucial to ending Bournemouth's slide
Antoine Semenyo is attracting the complete transfer speculation treatment following a reported £65m buyout clause for his prospective mid-season move, the media preparing him for promotion from the Premier League's average tier. This is understandable for a wide player with six finishes and three helpers who is pleasurable to watch. Still, Bournemouth find themselves in an awkward situation, experiencing a role reversal: it is the bottom-half team West Ham who arrive with successive wins, while Bournemouth have lost 7-1 combined over their previous two games following an impressive start to the campaign. Semenyo was denied on the penalty by Emi Martínez during the heavy loss to Aston Villa yet facing a defensive unit without a goalless game in the league since the start of the season could be the perfect remedy.
Bournemouth against West Ham, Saturday afternoon 3pm
Danny Welbeck a surprise choice for England
It was intriguing to hear Thomas Tuchel mention Danny Welbeck multiple times during the international break despite the fact that the Brighton forward turns 35 next week. “Even without knowing him, I understand what he can give me,” commented the England manager. “He could serve as a stand-in for Harry [Kane] in a quite orthodox striker role.” Having won the most recent of his 42 international appearances in 2018, it's quite plausible that Welbeck could be selected to the World Cup provided he manages to continue his goalscoring exploits. The former Manchester United and Arsenal attacker boasts more goals over every other English footballer in the Premier League this term with six and is keen to boost that total when Brighton host Brentford this weekend.
Brighton vs Brentford, Saturday three o'clock
The full-back crucial as playmaker and finisher
The Ryan Sessegnon tale has offered some warmth to Fulham's bumpy opening. The former Tottenham man, who rejoined his former side in 2024 after five challenging years in north London, has become a first-team fixture, operating on the left in the absence of the unavailable Antonee Robinson. The issue? On two goals, he remains their leading marksman in the Premier League together with Harry Wilson. Raúl Jiménez, their primary attacker the previous campaign, has bagged one goal while Rodrigo Muniz is unavailable for the long term because of a hamstring operation. Additionally, Sessegnon needing to deliver as an assist provider replacing Robinson, who provided ten setups in the previous campaign. The Cottagers' upcoming four matches feature three from the leading five as well as Crystal Palace, who have allowed just nine scores in the league so far. Danger looms for the club that have earned a name for mid-table stability.
Fulham against Sunderland, Saturday 3pm
The moment for The striker to deliver for the Merseyside club
The debate regarding Virgil van Dijk's chalked-off effort versus Manchester City failed to mask Liverpool's deficiencies during the match as they succumbed to loss number seven over ten fixtures. Arne Slot's squad must have a prolonged upturn to force their way into the title race from here, along with a significant upturn in results, and opportunity emerges with seven of their following ten top-flight fixtures against sides at the moment in the lower half of the table. The threat is evident from Nottingham Forest, the only team to hand a loss at Anfield on the champions the previous campaign, yet it isn't solely Liverpool's display versus aerial passes and fast breaks that remains under scrutiny. It is time that Alexander Isak to deliver wearing red. The expensive signing has been absent in domestic action for a month following a groin problem while his second start over a short period in Europe triumph in Germany. Isak returned as a substitute during Sweden's defeat against Switzerland but sat out the midweek meaningless match with Slovenia to guarantee his readiness for next year's World Cup knockout rounds. A booking on Tuesday might have suspended him. He might be short of|lacking|deficient
