English top flight: ten highlights to keep an eye on this weekend

Walker faces Garnacho ready for a new encounter

Another northwest showdown might be in the offing when the Clarets' Kyle Walker lines up against the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho at Turf Moor. The attacker has started to settle at Stamford Bridge following his close-season transfer from Old Trafford and showcased his skills against Wolves prior to the fixture pause. His key pass for Pedro Neto combined rapid acceleration and a ideal grounded ball. His creation for Malo Gusto entailed shifting infield prior to chipping a ball across the goalmouth. His goal reaction with Neto, replicating his prior hug with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, served as a testament of the pace with which circumstances change. The previous occasion Garnacho faced Walker? During the youngster scored for United in the Wembley triumph against Manchester City.

Burnley versus Chelsea, Saturday afternoon 12.30pm (start times GMT)

2. Semenyo key to stopping Cherries' slide

Antoine Semenyo is receiving the complete rumour-mill attention amid a alleged £65m release clause for a possible January departure, the gossip columns positioning him for advancement out of the Premier League's average tier. This is understandable from a wide player who has a half-dozen strikes plus three helpers who is delightful to watch. Still, his team occupy an awkward spot, experiencing a body swap: now it's the bottom-half team West Ham who arrive on back-to-back victories, while Bournemouth have lost 7-1 on aggregate over their previous two games following an promising opening to the campaign. Semenyo had his effort saved from the penalty spot by Emi Martínez in the heavy loss by Aston Villa however taking on a defensive unit without a clean sheet for months might be the ideal solution.

Bournemouth vs West Ham, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM

The striker an outside choice for the Three Lions

It was interesting to hear Thomas Tuchel mention Danny Welbeck multiple times during the national team window although the Brighton striker turns 35 soon. “Despite not being familiar with him, I understand what he can give me,” commented the England coach. “He can be a back-up for Harry [Kane] in a very traditional striker role.” Gaining the most recent of his 42 caps back in 2018, it's entirely possible that Welbeck might be in the squad to the World Cup if he can sustain his goalscoring feats. The former Manchester United and Arsenal striker boasts additional strikes compared to any English player in England's top division this term on six and will be anxious to boost that total as Brighton welcome Brentford this weekend.

Brighton vs Brentford, Saturday afternoon 3pm

4. Sessegnon needed as playmaker and finisher

Sessegnon's story has brought a measure of warmth to Fulham's uneven opening. The former Tottenham man, who came back to his youth team last year after five difficult years at Tottenham, is now a regular starter, operating on the left side in the absence of the sidelined Antonee Robinson. The concern? With two goals, he remains their top goalscorer in the league alongside Harry Wilson. The Mexican striker, their top scorer the previous campaign, has scored one goal whereas Rodrigo Muniz is injured for an extended period because of hamstring surgery. Sessegnon must also having to step up as a creator in place of Robinson, who registered ten setups last time round. Fulham's upcoming four fixtures feature three of the top five plus Crystal Palace, who have allowed merely nine strikes this season to date. Trouble awaits for a side that have earned a standing for mid-table stability.

Fulham against Sunderland, Saturday three o'clock

5. Time for Isak to deliver for the Merseyside club

The dispute surrounding Virgil van Dijk's chalked-off effort in the match with Manchester City did not camouflage Liverpool's shortcomings in that game as they succumbed to a seventh defeat over ten fixtures. The manager's team need a prolonged upturn to enter the title race from their current spot, as well as a significant upturn in results, and opportunity presents itself as seven of their upcoming ten Premier League matches versus teams presently in the lower half in the standings. The danger is evident posed by Nottingham Forest, the only team to deliver a home league defeat to the title holders in the last term, yet it isn't solely Liverpool's display versus direct play and counterattacks that will be in focus. Now is the occasion for Alexander Isak to show up wearing red. The big-money forward has not played in domestic action for a month having sustained a muscle issue when making his second start in quick succession in the Champions League win at Eintracht Frankfurt. Isak returned from the bench in the Swedish defeat to Switzerland but sat out the midweek meaningless match with Slovenia to guarantee his availability for next year's World Cup knockout rounds. A caution during the game could have made him ineligible. The striker could be short of|lacking|deficient