Premier League: ten highlights to keep an eye on this weekend


Walker faces Garnacho set for a fresh battle

A Mancunian rematch may be on the cards when Burnley's Kyle Walker lines up against Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho on Burnley's turf. The attacker has started to settle in west London following his summer move from Old Trafford and demonstrated his skills versus Wolverhampton before the fixture pause. His assist for Pedro Neto combined electric speed with a ideal along-the-deck delivery. His build-up for Malo Gusto required cutting inside prior to dinking a delivery to the back post. His joyous moment with Neto, mirroring his prior embrace with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, served as a testament of the speed at which situations evolve. The most recent instance Garnacho took on Walker? Back when the former netted for United in the FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.

Burnley versus Chelsea, Saturday afternoon 12:30 PM (kick-offs GMT)


2. Semenyo vital to ending Bournemouth's decline

Antoine Semenyo is attracting the complete gossip column focus following a reported £65m buyout clause for a potential January departure, the media positioning him for graduation out of the Premier League's middle class. It is predictable for a winger with a half-dozen strikes plus three setups and remains delightful to watch. However, his team are in an tricky situation, having undergone a role reversal: now it's the relegation battlers West Ham who arrive on back-to-back victories, while Bournemouth have been beaten seven-one on aggregate over their last two matches following an strong beginning to the season. Semenyo was denied on the penalty by Emi Martínez in their four-nil loss to Aston Villa but confronting a backline lacking a clean sheet in the league since the start of the season might be the perfect remedy.

Bournemouth versus West Ham, Saturday 3pm


3. Welbeck an outside choice for the national team

It proved notable to hear Thomas Tuchel reference Danny Welbeck multiple times throughout the fixture pause although the Brighton forward celebrates 35 soon. “Despite not being familiar with him, I know what he could offer me,” said the England coach. “He might act as a back-up for Harry [Kane] playing a quite traditional centre-forward position.” Gaining the final 42 caps several years ago, it's quite plausible that Welbeck may be selected to the World Cup assuming he can sustain his goalscoring exploits. The former Manchester United and Arsenal forward boasts more goals compared to any English performer in the top flight this term having six and is keen to boost that count when Brighton welcome Brentford this weekend.

Brighton versus Brentford, Saturday 3pm


Ryan Sessegnon required as creator and scorer

The narrative around Ryan Sessegnon has provided some warmth to Fulham's bumpy start. The former Tottenham man, who came back to his youth team last year following five difficult years with Spurs, is now a consistent pick, operating on the left in the absence of the sidelined Antonee Robinson. The worry? Having scored twice, he's also their joint-top scorer in the league alongside Harry Wilson. Raúl Jiménez, their leading man in the last term, has bagged a single goal while Rodrigo Muniz is out for the long term owing to hamstring surgery. Sessegnon must also having to step up in a creative role replacing Robinson, who supplied ten helpers in the previous campaign. Fulham's next four fixtures take in three among the best five and Crystal Palace, who have allowed only nine scores in the Premier League this season. Trouble awaits for a team that have built a standing for solidity in the central positions.

Fulham against Sunderland, Saturday afternoon three o'clock


The moment for The striker to deliver for the Reds

The dispute about Virgil van Dijk's chalked-off effort versus Manchester City did not camouflage Liverpool's deficiencies during the match as they fell to loss number seven over ten fixtures. The manager's squad must have a sustained recovery to force their way into the championship chase from this position, plus a major boost in performance, and opportunity arises as seven out of their upcoming ten top-flight fixtures against sides presently in the lower half of the table. The risk is obvious posed by Nottingham Forest, the sole side to deliver a loss at Anfield to the title holders the previous campaign, but it is not only Liverpool's display against direct play and fast breaks that is in focus. The moment has come that Alexander Isak to deliver wearing red. The £125m striker has not featured for his club for a month having sustained a groin injury while his second appearance in the lineup in four days in continental competition victory in Germany. The striker came back from the bench in Sweden's defeat to Switzerland but missed the midweek meaningless match with Slovenia to secure his availability for next year's World Cup qualifiers. A yellow card during the game could have made him ineligible. Isak may be short of|lacking|deficient

Barry Knight
Barry Knight

Elara is a leadership coach and writer with over a decade of experience helping individuals unlock their potential and drive meaningful change.