English top flight: 10 things to look out for this weekend
1. Garnacho and Walker poised for another clash
A Manchester reunion could be in the offing when Burnley's Kyle Walker confronts Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho on Burnley's turf. The winger is finding his feet in west London following his close-season transfer from Old Trafford and demonstrated his skills in the Wolves match prior to the international break. His setup for Pedro Neto combined rapid acceleration and a flawless grounded ball. His contribution for Malo Gusto entailed shifting infield prior to dinking a ball across the goalmouth. His goal reaction with Neto, replicating his prior celebration with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, acted as a testament of how quickly situations evolve. The previous occasion Garnacho took on Walker? When the Argentine scored for United in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
Burnley vs Chelsea, Saturday half past twelve (all times GMT)
The winger vital to stopping Bournemouth's slump
Antoine Semenyo is receiving the complete gossip column attention following a alleged £65m buyout clause for his possible winter exit, the tabloids setting him up for promotion from the Premier League's average tier. It is to be expected for a winger who has six goals plus three setups and remains pleasurable to watch. Still, his side find themselves in an awkward spot, having engaged in a role reversal: now it's the bottom-half team West Ham who enter on back-to-back victories, whereas Bournemouth are down seven-one on aggregate over their previous two fixtures after an impressive opening to the season. Semenyo saw his attempt stopped from the penalty spot by Emi Martínez in their 4-0 defeat to Aston Villa yet facing a defence lacking a goalless game in the league since the start of the season could be the perfect solution.
Bournemouth vs West Ham, Saturday 3:00 PM
3. Welbeck an outside option for the national team
It was notable to listen to Thomas Tuchel reference Danny Welbeck repeatedly throughout the international break although the Brighton forward celebrates 35 next week. “Without even knowing him, I understand what he can give me,” commented the England boss. “He could serve as a reserve for Harry [Kane] as a very orthodox striker position.” Having won the most recent of his 42 international appearances back in 2018, there is every chance that Welbeck could be on the plane for the World Cup if he manages to maintain his scoring exploits. The ex- Manchester United and Arsenal striker boasts additional strikes over every other English footballer in England's top division this term with six and remains eager to increase that total as Brighton entertain Brentford in Saturday's match.
Brighton versus Brentford, Saturday 3pm
Ryan Sessegnon required as creator and scorer
The Ryan Sessegnon tale has offered a measure of positivity to Fulham's bumpy start. The 25-year-old, who returned to his boyhood club in 2024 following five challenging years at Tottenham, is now a first-team fixture, pushing forward on the left flank in the absence of the unavailable Antonee Robinson. The worry? With two goals, he's also their top goalscorer in the Premier League as well as Harry Wilson. Raúl Jiménez, their primary attacker the previous campaign, has netted one goal while Rodrigo Muniz is injured until 2026 because of hamstring surgery. Sessegnon must also needing to deliver as a creator replacing Robinson, who provided 10 assists last season. Fulham's following four games feature three among the top five plus Crystal Palace, who have allowed only nine scores this season this season. A threat emerges for a team that have earned a name for consistency in the middle.
Fulham versus Sunderland, Saturday afternoon 3pm
The moment for Alexander Isak to produce for the Merseyside club
The dispute about Virgil van Dijk's ruled-out strike in the match with Manchester City did not camouflage Liverpool's inferiority on the day as they fell to a seventh defeat over ten fixtures. The manager's squad need a sustained recovery to muscle into the league contest from here, as well as a major improvement in form, and the possibility presents itself with seven out of their next 10 top-flight fixtures versus teams currently in the bottom half of the table. The threat is obvious from Nottingham Forest, the single club to deliver a defeat on their own turf to the title holders the previous campaign, yet it isn't solely Liverpool's showing against direct play and fast breaks that remains under the spotlight. The moment has come for Alexander Isak to show up for Liverpool. The expensive signing has not featured for his club for a month after picking up a muscle issue while his second consecutive start over a short period in the Champions League win in Germany. The striker came back as a substitute in the Swedish loss against Switzerland but sat out the subsequent dead rubber against Slovenia to ensure his readiness for the upcoming World Cup knockout rounds. A yellow card during the game could have ruled him out. The striker could be short of|lacking|deficient