English top flight: 10 things to keep an eye on this weekend
1. Garnacho and Walker set for a fresh clash
Another northwest showdown might be in store when Burnley's Kyle Walker confronts Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho on Burnley's turf. The winger is adapting well with Chelsea following his summer move from Old Trafford and demonstrated his talents versus Wolverhampton before the national team interval. His assist for Pedro Neto blended blistering pace and a flawless low cross. His contribution for Malo Gusto required cutting inside prior to lofting a delivery to the back post. His celebration with Neto, mirroring his earlier hug with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, acted as a reminder of the pace with which situations evolve. The last time Garnacho encountered Walker? Back when the former netted for United in their Wembley triumph against Manchester City.
Burnley against Chelsea, Saturday afternoon 12.30pm (start times GMT)
The winger crucial to stopping Bournemouth's decline
Antoine Semenyo is getting the entire rumour-mill attention following a claimed £65m escape clause for a possible mid-season move, the media positioning him for promotion out of the Premier League's middle class. That is to be expected for a wide player who has a half-dozen strikes and three setups and remains joyous to watch. However, Bournemouth find themselves in an difficult spot, having engaged in a form flip: now it's the bottom-half team West Ham who arrive on consecutive triumphs, whereas Bournemouth have been beaten seven to one combined in their past two games after an promising beginning to the season. Semenyo was denied on the penalty by Emi Martínez during the heavy loss by Aston Villa but facing a defence without a shutout since August might be the perfect tonic.
Bournemouth versus West Ham, Saturday afternoon 3pm
3. Welbeck an outside shout for England
It proved intriguing to hear Thomas Tuchel mention Danny Welbeck on more than one occasion during the national team window although the Brighton striker turns 35 in the coming days. “Despite not being familiar with him, I understand what he could give me,” said the England coach. “He could serve as a reserve for Harry [Kane] playing a quite orthodox centre-forward role.” Gaining the last of his 42 caps back in 2018, it's quite plausible that Welbeck may be selected for the World Cup assuming he manages to sustain his scoring performances. The ex- Manchester United and Arsenal forward can claim more goals over every other English player in the top flight this season having six and will be eager to add to that count when Brighton host Brentford on Saturday.
Brighton versus Brentford, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
The full-back crucial as creator and scorer
Sessegnon's story has provided some positivity to Fulham's bumpy start. The 25-year-old, who returned to his boyhood club in 2024 after five challenging years with Spurs, has become a first-team fixture, operating on the left due to the injury of the injured Antonee Robinson. The concern? On two goals, he remains their joint-top scorer in the league together with Harry Wilson. Raúl Jiménez, their top scorer in the last term, has netted one goal whereas Rodrigo Muniz is unavailable until 2026 because of a hamstring operation. Additionally, Sessegnon needing to deliver as a creator instead of Robinson, who provided ten helpers in the previous campaign. Fulham's next four matches take in three among the best five plus Crystal Palace, who have let in only nine goals in the Premier League to date. Trouble awaits for a side that have earned a standing for mid-table stability.
Fulham vs Sunderland, Saturday three o'clock
The occasion for Alexander Isak to deliver for the Reds
The controversy about Virgil van Dijk's chalked-off effort in the match with Manchester City failed to mask Liverpool's deficiencies on the day as they lost to a seventh defeat over ten fixtures. The coach's side require a sustained recovery to force their way into the title race from this position, plus a major boost in performance, and a chance presents itself with seven of their upcoming ten top-flight fixtures against sides at the moment in the bottom ten of the table. The risk is obvious from Nottingham Forest, the sole side to deliver a loss at Anfield to the title holders the previous campaign, yet it isn't solely Liverpool's display against aerial passes and fast breaks that will be under scrutiny. It is time for Alexander Isak to perform in a Liverpool shirt. The big-money forward has not played at club level in a month following a groin injury during his second consecutive start in four days in the Champions League triumph at Eintracht Frankfurt. The striker came back off the bench in Sweden's loss by Switzerland but missed the subsequent meaningless match with Slovenia to guarantee his readiness for the World Cup knockout rounds. A yellow card on Tuesday might have ruled him out. He might be short of|lacking|deficient
