GOAL US looks at Saka's return, fireworks in the Manchester Derby and Rashford's renaissance at Aston Villa
The Premier League season is sorted at the top and bottom. But all of the bits in between are intriguing. The fact that there are five Champions League spots up for grabs this year – combined with struggles from some of the usual top tier sides – has made the middle of the pack more interesting than ever.
Suddenly, teams that would be so far removed from the European conversation are in with a shout. Meanwhile, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham find themselves well off where they might expect to be. Piece it all together, and this isn't necessarily the slump to the end of the season that the table might suggest.
This weekend will, no doubt, revolve around the Manchester Derby. Ruben Amorim has failed spectacularly for Manchester United, but won his first iteration of this fabled fixture a few months back. His eyes will undoubtedly be on his side's Europa League clash next Thursday. Still, this is always a big game.
Meanwhile, it's an important weekend for a couple of players. Bukayo Saka is returning back to fitness, and made an immediate impact in his first appearance since undergoing hamstring surgery. Marcus Rashford, too, has been in the headlines. After two poor years at United, he has recaptured some of his old magic at Aston Villa – and could be crucial if they are to get a Champions League push-boosting win against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
GOAL US looks at all of those plot points and more in Premier League Primer, a weekly rundown of what to watch from an American perspective in England's top flight.
GettySuperstar Saka back in the fold
Bukayo Saka didn't need long. There were fears around Christmas that the Arsenal star could be out for the year. Repeated hamstring injuries had caught up with him. Surgery was needed. But he went through his rehab quickly, and showed, in six minutes and 36 seconds, how valuable he is.
Named to the matchday squad for the first time in three months, the winger finished off a lovely flowing move with a back-post header – and swiftly ran to celebrate with the Gunners' fitness coach.
There are some in North London that might argue that a fit Saka could have Arsenal at the top of the Premier League right now. Regardless of how accurate that is, the Englishman is back now, and at the right time.
The title is gone, but with a massive Champions League clash against Real Madrid lined up next Wednesday, he will need to be fit and firing. That all starts with a big game against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday at 7:30 a.m. ET.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportPep Guardiola faces fight for Champions League football
Zoom out, take a deep breath, remove the speculation, ignore the hearsay, and think about football and you might realize that it's fairly improbable that Man City won't be playing in the Champions League next year. There are a few reasons for this.
The first is the mathematics of it all. Five Premier League teams will make it to the competition next year. Man City are in fourth. The second reason is that they have the big-game experience to navigate the last eight fixtures and make sure there are no slip ups. The third, and most important one, is the man in the dugout.
But Guardiola does find himself in a unique situation here. Usually, at this time of the campaign, City are battling for the title, steamrolling the league and pipping whichever plucky challenger decides they will push them until the end of the season for the honor they should really always win.
Instead, City are in a scrap for a Champions League spot. And that's what makes Sunday's Manchester derby so intriguing. On paper – even without the injured Erling Haaland, City should walk it. Man United are very bad. Man City aren't , but they are at least good.
However, United won the first iteration of this fixture just a few months back. Ruben Amorim has shown that he can piece together a tactical plan for a big game. It's not the ideal matchup when everything is "must win." Old Trafford will be rocking on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Getty Images SportMarcus Rashford's loan renaissance
Is Marcus Rashford good at football? In abstract, the answer is a resounding "yes." He scored 30 goals in the 2022-23 season. He has always shown up for England. As much as Man United are easy to criticize these days, it is difficult to stumble into a side of their caliber.
But the Red Devils have done a resoundingly good job of making him look average over the last 18 months. A loan move to Aston Villa made sense for all parties.
What United perhaps weren't counting on, though, was Rashford rediscovering some of his best football. The Englishman has improved game-by-game for the Birmingham-based club, and scored his first Premier League goal since signing for Villa, bagging the first in a 3-0 win over Brighton on Wednesday.
He will need to show more of that for his new club, especially this weekend. Aston Villa face a massive clash against high-flying Nottingham Forest Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET. A win could catapult them back into the Champions League picture for next season.
Getty Images SportAmerican ties
It has been a pretty miserable week for Antonee Robinson and Fulham, who were thoroughly beaten by Cyrstal Palace in the FA Cup quarterfinals last weekend, before losing 2-1 at the Emirates on Tuesday. Things don't get easier, though, as they take on champions-elect Liverpool at Craven Cottage at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday.
Palace's Chris Richards seems set for a less daunting fixture Saturday at 10 a.m. ET when they take on Brighton. Win, and they could dampen the Champions League hopes of one of their biggest rivals.
