Arsenal's star boy returns as FA Cup last 8 takes center stage

The Premier League returns, Saka is back, and the FA Cup quarter-finals take center stage. Can Man City avoid a trophyless season? Key matches preview

The Emirates FA Cup will take center stage this weekend but, the Premier League is back right after and we're excited. (Photo credit: FA)

The English Premier League is back! And that's not the only news, as league football returns to our screens this weekend; Arsenal's Bukayo Saka didn't hold back on Instagram. The boy is back, too!

While there are no Premier League fixtures until Tuesday, with FA Cup quarter-final games happening, the feeling of having league games around the corner warms the heart more than anything else; it's a different kind of feeling.

Bukayo Saka is expected to be in the squad when Arsenal welcomes Fulham on Tuesday; they have missed him so much, and for a player who hasn't featured this year, only Mohamed Salah has assisted more than he has done this season.

For the FA Cup actions across grounds this weekend, Fulham vs Crystal Palace is the most difficult to predict. It's a London derby between two similar sides, with both having reasons to go for it.

Manchester City is the only traditional Big Six side left in the competition, and the form of the reigning Premier League champions suggests that anyone can go for it; everyone would have a sense of possibility, and it can happen for them.

Nottingham Forest is away to Brighton, two teams punching above their weights in the league. Forest is eyeing Champions League football, and so is Brighton, with the Seagulls not far behind on the log. Will they de-prioritise the Cup?

Are we expecting the magic of the FA Cup anywhere this weekend? Preston North End will be home to Aston Villa, a fixture that could deliver the punch, but Unai Emery is fighting on three fronts, and without a doubt, this is the likeliest for him.

Aston Villa is in the Champions League quarterfinals, where they will play against PSG. They're gunning for a top-four finish in the league, and they would fancy their chances in the FA Cup.

Manchester City's visit to Bournemouth is the final game in the sequence. Is there something there for us to pick apart? The Cherries are high-flying and could trouble the Cityzens again; that should interest us.

With City out of reckoning in the league, dumped out of the Champions League, and only left with the FA Cup, is Pep Guardiola about to end a season without silverware?