Declan Rice, Oliver Glasner and Garnacho: Premier League weekend watch

Declan Rice (Arsenal) is set to return after being withdrawn from Thomas Tuchel’s squad to manage his workload. The decision makes sense for the 27-year-old because he had only three weeks off after the World Cup and has dealt with persistent back issues following a hamstring injury last December. Arsenal hope the rest helps him as they resume their Premier League title defence at Leeds on Saturday.

Key plotlines

Oliver Glasner returns to Selhurst Park, while the big question at Anfield is whether Manchester City will adopt a siege mentality against Liverpool. Gary Lineker had raised doubts about Rice’s role in England’s midfield after Alex Scott’s impressive first senior start in the 7–0 win over Croatia.

Who could swing games

At Aston Villa, Alejandro Garnacho—on loan from Chelsea with a conditional obligation—scored in both friendlies during the break, against Southampton and Sevilla. Villa will look for Unai Emery to have “unlocked” him after limited minutes in a Villa shirt, and Garnacho posted “Ready now!”

For Bournemouth, Alex Scott is ruled out for two months after getting injured on international duty. With Chelsea trip next, Bournemouth may turn to Alex Toth, with Ryan Christie also in form. Sunderland, meanwhile, travel through a congested run after Dan Ballard and Brian Brobbey both suffered hamstring injuries during the international break, with Brighton the first test.