Premier League buildup, Barcelona return to Camp Nou and more – matchday live

8.59am GMT Coventry are top of the Championship and host West Brom in today’s early kick-off. The hosts started their campaign this season with an impressive 12-game unbeaten run before their first defeat at Wrexham last month. They have since returned to form with consecutive wins against Sheffield United and Stoke City, having now won eight of their last nine matches. Frank Lampard has Coventry positioned comfortably atop the table after 15 games, five points clear of second-placed Middlesbrough and seven points ahead of Stoke. Alongside Boro, the Sky Blues are one of only two sides yet to be defeated at home this season and are now on a four-game winning run at Coventry Arena, scoring 11 goals in those contests. West Brom ended their four-game winless streak before the break with a crucial three points at home against Oxford. Boos turned to cheers at the Hawthorns after an own goal from Gregory Leigh and a match-winning header from the substitute Aune Heggebø, who secured his second goal of the term. Winning just two of their last seven second-tier battles, West Brom are 14th in the table – the West Midlands side has not finished outside the top half of this division since the 1999-00 season. 8.38am GMT The highlight match in today’s 3pm kick-offs is Liverpool v Nottingham Forest, with most keen to see if Arne Slot’s side have … well, improved. Arne Slot has said he may start ­Alexander Isak today ahead of fitter Liverpool strikers to give the £125m signing the game time needed to recapture his Newcastle form. The 26-year-old played only 28 minutes of Sweden’s defeat by Switzerland during the international break before sitting out their game against Slovenia to avoid the risk of being suspended for next year’s World Cup playoff. Getting Isak up to speed after an underwhelming start remains a priority and Slot admits he may have no alternative but to select the club-record ­signing over fitter options such as Hugo Ekitiké. I had a conversation with the performance staff about what is the best way for Alex – not for Liverpool – to get him as fast as we can to 100%. I always have to find the balance between what is the best for him as an individual and for us as a team. I do know that a 100% fit Alexander Isak is a big, big, big plus for this team. But for him to get there he might need to have minutes where you could argue that another player might be further ahead of him in terms of match fitness. Related: Liverpool may pick Alexander Isak ahead of fitter players, admits Slot Forest’s Sean Dyche will hope to pile the pressure on Arne Slot and Liverpool at Anfield and believes his side must be on their “A game”. Forest entered the November international break on the back of a 3-1 victory against Leeds United, which was Sean Dyche’s first league win since taking over from Ange Postecoglou. I think you want the team and yourself to be confident wherever you are going. You can’t guarantee these things. We have got a team that can compete, and that’s a big thing. Every game means something and we are beginning to build that mentality. [Liverpool] are still a good outfit. You have got to defend well and you have got to play well whatever style that is. Whether you’re playing that style or more open, you have got to be on you’re A game to beat these teams, particularly at their place. We know that, and the players are aware of that. 8.27am GMT So today then. As mentioned earlier, the Premier League lunchtime kick-off will be at Turf Moor, where Scott Parker’s side will hope to create a gap between themselves and the other relegation candidates. Armando Broja was carried off in Albania’s loss to England, but there is hope that his ankle problem is not as serious as first feared. The visitors won’t have Cole Palmer in their ranks but Alejandro Garnacho could make history as the youngest South American player to make 100 appearances in the Premier League at 21 years old, overtaking a 22-year-old Gabriel Martinelli. 8.23am GMT Last night Blackburn continued their climb up the Championship table as they earned a fourth win in five with a 2-1 derby victory at Preston. The hosts would have climbed to second if they had won, but Andri Gudjohnsen’s winner ended those hopes. Although Alfie Devine cancelled out Lewis Miller’s opener within seconds in a frantic finish to the first half, Blackburn were the better side after the break and Gudjohnsen’s 62nd-minute header extended Rovers’ unbeaten run at Deepdale which dates back to 2019. Their fifth win in eight away from home moved Blackburn up to 16th as they continue to recover from a poor start while Preston rued a missed opportunity after losing at home in the league for only the second time this term. Valérien Ismaël hailed the complete performance from his side, saying: “we showed all the faces you need in the Championship. You have to stay strong, you have to suffer, you have to play football and you need set-pieces. The game was the Championship clearly defined. “We were able in all phases of the game to show the quality and what we’ve learned from all the games. Now the next step is the home games. We struggle to win at home. The performance is right but we are not winning. “This is what is missing this season. If we can combine it now this will be good for our confidence and momentum.” 8.09am GMT The talk at Chelsea’s pre-match Premier League press conferences was Cole Palmer’s freak accident at home, resulting in a broken toe and further delaying his much-anticipated comeback from his recent groin injury. Chelsea visit Burnley in today’s lunchtime kick-off, and Enzo Maresca hoped the 23-year-old would be available for Tuesday’s Champions League tie against Barcelona or next weekend’s home game against Arsenal. The head coach confirmed that would no longer be the case but confirmed the unusual incident would not keep the forward out for too long. It can happen. I wake up many times during the night to go to the toilet. I hit my head, my legs, my everything, so it can happen. The last time I saw him was yesterday morning, and he was without socks, without flip-flops, he was without nothing. He was working OK. The problem is that it’s a small toe, so the contact with boots can be painful. Below’s roundup of the Premier League press conferences include Andoni Iraola on speculation surrounding Antoine Semenyo’s future, Eddie Howe’s hopes for Nick Woltemade and Marco Silva’s future at Fulham. Related: Premier League news: Palmer breaks toe in freak home mishap and Iraola unfazed by Semenyo links 8.00am GMT Preamble Hello, football. Welcome to the Guardian’s matchday live, where we will be building up to today’s matches and running through any breaking news and big stories. Readers, any plans for the day? Favourite moment of the international break? Game you’re most looking forward to this weekend? Let me know in the comments. Whether you’re heading off to the ground later today or not, feel free to get stuck in with all of today’s fixtures right here, along with the latest tables. And to get you set for the Premier League’s return … Related: Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend