English top flight: 10 things to look out for this round of fixtures

Garnacho versus Walker ready for another encounter

Another northwest showdown might be on the cards as Burnley's Kyle Walker lines up against the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho at Turf Moor. The attacker has started to settle in west London after his close-season transfer from Manchester United and displayed his talents against Wolves before the national team interval. His setup for Pedro Neto blended rapid acceleration with a flawless grounded ball. His creation for Malo Gusto entailed cutting inside prior to chipping a ball to the back post. His goal reaction with Neto, replicating his previous celebration with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, served as a testament of the speed at which situations evolve. The previous occasion Garnacho encountered Walker? When the youngster scored for United in their cup final win over Manchester City.

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

The winger vital to ending Cherries' slump

Antoine Semenyo is receiving the full rumour-mill focus following a reported £65m release clause for his possible mid-season move, the media positioning him for advancement out of the Premier League's average tier. This is understandable for a attacker with a half-dozen strikes plus three assists and remains pleasurable to watch. Nonetheless, Bournemouth are in an difficult spot, having undergone a role reversal: it is the relegation battlers West Ham who come in with successive wins, whereas Bournemouth have been beaten seven-one combined in their previous two matches following an promising start to the season. Semenyo saw his attempt stopped from the penalty spot by Emi Martínez in the four-nil loss by Aston Villa but facing a backline lacking a clean sheet for months could be the perfect tonic.

Bournemouth against West Ham, Saturday three o'clock

The striker an outside option for the national team

It seemed intriguing to hear Thomas Tuchel mention Danny Welbeck multiple times during the international break despite the fact that the Brighton striker celebrates 35 in the coming days. “Without even being familiar with him, I understand what he could offer me,” stated the England coach. “He could serve as a stand-in for Harry [Kane] in a very traditional No 9 role.” Having won the most recent of his 42 England games in 2018, there is every chance that Welbeck could be in the squad to the World Cup provided he is able to continue his goalscoring feats. The former Manchester United and Arsenal attacker can claim more goals than any other English performer in the top flight this season on six and is keen to boost that tally as Brighton entertain Brentford on Saturday.

Brighton against Brentford, Saturday afternoon three o'clock

The full-back required as creator and scorer

The Ryan Sessegnon tale has provided some positivity to Fulham's bumpy beginning. The left-sided player, who returned to his former side last year after five tough years in north London, has become a first-team fixture, operating on the left in the absence of the sidelined Antonee Robinson. The concern? With two goals, he is their top goalscorer this season alongside Harry Wilson. Raúl Jiménez, their leading man last season, has netted once while Rodrigo Muniz is out for the long term owing to a hamstring operation. Sessegnon must also having to step up as a creator replacing Robinson, who supplied ten setups in the previous campaign. Fulham's following four fixtures include three among the leading five plus Crystal Palace, who have let in merely nine goals in the league so far. Danger looms for a side that have built a reputation for consistency in the middle.

Fulham versus Sunderland, Saturday three o'clock

The moment for Alexander Isak to perform for Liverpool

The debate surrounding Virgil van Dijk's chalked-off effort in the match with Manchester City could not hide Liverpool's inferiority in that game as they succumbed to their seventh loss over ten fixtures. Arne Slot's side need a prolonged upturn to muscle into the title race from this position, along with a significant boost in performance, and a chance emerges with seven from their following ten league games versus teams currently in the lower half of the table. The risk is clear posed by Nottingham Forest, the sole side to deliver a home league defeat to the title holders last season, yet it isn't solely Liverpool's display when facing long balls and fast breaks that will be under the spotlight. Now is the occasion for Alexander Isak to show up in a Liverpool shirt. The big-money forward has been absent for his club for a month having sustained a groin problem when making his second appearance in the lineup over a short period in Europe victory in Germany. The striker came back as a substitute during Sweden's loss against Switzerland but was rested the midweek meaningless match with Slovenia to secure his availability for the World Cup knockout rounds. A yellow card in that match could have suspended him. He might be short of|lacking|deficient