Isak could make first Premier League start for Liverpool after Ekitike suspension

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Alexander Isak could make his first Premier League start for Liverpool against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Liverpool coach Arne Slot has been easing the Sweden striker into the action since he completed a British record $170 million deadline day transfer to Anfield. Until then, Isak had a disrupted offseason.

The suspension of Hugo Ekitike, who was red-carded for taking his shirt off during a goal celebration against Southampton on Tuesday, means Isak could be called upon at Selhurst Park.

The forward has already started games in the Champions League and English League Cup, where he scored his first goal for Liverpool on Tuesday. Isak has yet to be given 90 minutes for Liverpool and was taken off at halftime midweek.

Slot said he does not expect Isak to be up to full match sharpness until after the international break next month.

Federico Chiesa is another option in place of Ekitike after the Italian impressed with two assists against Southampton.

Liverpool is the only team in the top flight with a 100% record. But the defending champion lost to Palace on penalties in the Community Shield in August.

The tests keep on coming for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta's team travels to Newcastle on Sunday having already faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City.

The trip to St James' Park against Champions League rival Newcastle ends that brutal run of fixtures at the start of the campaign. Arsenal doesn't then meet one of the traditional English heavyweights until Tottenham in November.

United will be aiming to build on last week's dramatic win against Chelsea when it travels to Brentford on Saturday.

Whether from the start or off the bench, Isak will draw all eyes after his first goal for Liverpool. His 32 goals for Newcastle and Sweden last season earned him a reputation as one of Europe's deadliest finishers and his strike on Tuesday should be the first of many.

Speaking of goal machines, Erling Haaland has 13 in eight appearances for Man City and Norway. A home game against newly promoted Burnley could extend that record if he overcomes a back issue picked up against Arsenal last week.

Ekitike is suspended for his red card midweek and so is Casemiro for his sending off against Chelsea.

Arsenal will be without Noni Madueke for weeks because of a knee injury.

Tensions are rising at West Ham after four losses, with fans staging protests last week and calling for changes at board level.

Pressure is also mounting on manager Graham Potter, with growing speculation about his future after just nine months in the job.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Arsenal's Noni Madueke, left, and Eberechi Eze celebrate after a goal during the Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest in London, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Arsenal's William Saliba, left, and Manchester City's Erling Haaland fight for the ball during the Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Manchester City in London, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English League Cup third round soccer match between Liverpool and Southampton at the Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's Alexander Isak runs during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thursday was the final day to select an Affordable Care Act health insurance plan across much of the country, as the expiration of federal subsidies drives up health costs and lawmakers remain locked in a debate over how to address the issue.

That's when the open enrollment window ends in most states for plans that start in February. About 10 states that run their own marketplaces have later deadlines, or have extended them to the end of the month to give their residents more time.

The date is a crucial one for millions of small business owners, gig workers, farmers, ranchers and others who don't get their health insurance from a job and therefore rely on marketplace plans. A record 24 million Americans purchased Affordable Care Act health plans last year.

But this year, their decisions over health coverage have been more difficult than usual as clarity over how much it will cost is hard to come by. And so far, enrollment is lagging behind last year's numbers — with about 22.8 million Americans having signed up so far, according to federal data.

Last year, for months, it was unclear whether Congress would allow for the end-of-year expiration of COVID-era expanded subsidies that had offset costs for more than 90% of enrollees. Democrats forced a record-long government shutdown over the issue, but still couldn't get a deal done. So the subsidies expired Jan. 1, leaving the average subsidized enrollee with more than double the monthly premium costs for 2026, according to an analysis from the health care nonprofit KFF.

Still, the question of whether Congress would resurrect the tax credits loomed over Washington. Several enrollees told The Associated Press they have either delayed signing up for coverage or signed up with a plan to cancel as they anxiously watch what's happening on Capitol Hill.

Last week, the House passed a three-year extension of the subsidies after 17 Republicans joined with Democrats against the wishes of Republican leaders. But the Senate rejected a similar bill last year.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, has been leading a bipartisan group of 12 senators trying to devise a compromise and said this week that he expects to have a proposal by the end of the month. The contours of the senators’ bipartisan plan involves a two-year deal that would extend the enhanced subsidies while adding new limits on who can receive them. The proposal would also create the option, in the second year, of a new health savings account that President Donald Trump and Republicans prefer.

Under the deal being discussed, the ACA open enrollment period would be extended to March 1 of this year to allow people more time to figure out their coverage plans after the disruption.

Still, Republicans and Democrats say they have not completed the plan, and the two sides have yet to agree if there should be new limits on whether states can use separate funds for abortion coverage.

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced outlines of a plan he wants Congress to consider that would. It would, among other things, redirect ACA subsidies into health savings accounts that go directly to consumers. Democrats have largely rebuffed this idea as inadequate for offsetting health costs for most people.

Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Lisa Mascaro contributed from Washington.

FILE - Pages from the U.S. Affordable Care Act health insurance website healthcare.gov are seen on a computer screen in New York, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)