The English Premier League returns to action this weekend after an international break that felt like an eternity.

Maybe because we've been waiting to see some new signings debut following one of the most epic transfer windows ever. Or maybe we've just had three great weeks to start the season and the September break always feels like an unfair stop to a long-awaited start.

Having the break center around World Cup qualifiers always makes it slightly more interesting, especially with a packed schedule of three national team games into a nearly two-week period, but it just isn't quite the same as the EPL.

And this week should be something special.

Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Old Trafford as a Manchester United player. It still feels funny to write that. His move back to the Premier League was lightning fast, and it has single-handedly changed the outlook of the campaign.

Hoping to squash any dramatic changes in the title race is Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, who have a tricky match at Leicester City to contend with. The final match we'll preview is the contest at Elland Road between Leeds United and Liverpool. 

The Premier League is back. Let's get to it.

Manchester United vs. Newcastle United

Old Trafford, Saturday, Sept. 11, 10 a.m. ET

Streaming: USA Network, Universo

This will be one of those atmospheres that you remember for a while. Cristiano Ronaldo making his return to Old Trafford in red. Tens of thousands of fans in the stands screaming his name and wearing his new shirt. It's still unbelievable to think that this transfer has happened, but here we are.

The scorer of 84 EPL goals is back to push Manchester United to a first title in nearly a decade. His addition to the side changes everything. You could argue that the Red Devils weren't squarely in the picture to dethrone Manchester City as champions, at least not this season. The additions of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane were huge, but in the eyes of many, not quite enough. City remained strong going into the season, and Chelsea improved to declare itself as the primary challenger.

Enter CR7. The man, if nothing else, has always been hellbent on winning and performing at the highest level. He will bring that determination to a sometimes emotionally inconsistent Manchester United side and could certainly be viewed as the X-factor it needs to dramatically raise the stakes in this year's title race.

With Ronaldo onboard, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first XI is as strong as any in the league, and it will undoubtedly give visitors Newcastle United massive headaches. You have to feel for any side walking into this match as the away team, but for some reason, Newcastle feels like the right opponent to be on the receiving end of what will most likely be a significant beat down.

The energy inside Old Trafford will border on overflowing out of its famous rafters, and it is unlikely the visiting Magpies, who already would be playing a more negative match before Ronaldo's arrival, will provide too much in the attacking third. Anyone in the stadium outside of the visiting contingent will be desperate for a Ronaldo goal to go along with the debut, but no one more than the man himself. This could lead to things getting out of hand.

We haven't even mentioned one of the hottest players in the league. Mason Greenwood has scored three goals in the season's first three matches, so look for big things from him with all that extra space he'll have considering the presence of Ronaldo.

Match Prediction: Manchester United 4, Newcastle United 1

Leicester City vs. Manchester City

King Power Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 11, 10 a.m. ET

Streaming: Peacock

There's just something about this fixture these days.

A rematch of this season's Community Shield, which ended in a 1-0 victory for Leicester, this contest at the King Power Stadium should make for excellent neutral viewing.

Guardiola's side missed out on bringing Ronaldo to the blue side of Manchester and weren't able to pry Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur. They'll just have to settle for $139 million man Jack Grealish. That's certainly not a bad thing. Grealish has been impressive so far and will grow into the team with each passing week.

It's perhaps too early to say that teams will want to "keep pace" with the rest of the pack, but this match for these two is about making a statement and, yes, keeping up with the teams above them in the table. Both have lofty expectations, with Manchester City's being higher, and early-season stumbles become late-season hurdles. When the big clubs are mostly all playing well to start the year, losing ground can be troublesome.

Last season, the Foxes produced an early-season gem and dealt the champions one of their biggest losses of the campaign in a 5-2 match in which Jamie Vardy scored a hat trick. James Maddison and Youri Tielemans were also on the scoresheet for Leicester that day. Those three are the Foxes' most talented players. If they want to experience a similar result this weekend, the trio will need to be on song against a difficult group of visitors.

After the 1-0 opening weekend loss at Tottenham Hotspur, Man City has bounced back with consecutive 5-0 victories against Norwich and Arsenal. Led by a wealth of attacking options, even without Ronaldo and Kane, the City game plan has been to overwhelm opposing defenses with wave after wave of forward moves. 

Leicester has a been light at the back to begin the season with Wesley Fofana, James Justin, Jonny Evans and Ricardo Pereira and new signing Jannik Vestergaard all nursing injuries, though the latter trio have been cleared for action. Relying on Daniel Amartey as a stop-gap center back will work at times but probably won't be all that great against a well-oiled machine like the Citizens.

It was feared the Manchester side would be without its Brazilian players after the Brazilian football federation (CFB) called on FIFA to ban them from featuring in the EPL this weekend. The Premier League had prevented players from flying to countries on the United Kingdom's COVID-19 travel "red list" during the international break, and the CFB responded by requesting FIFA enforce a rule that players who aren't released for national team duty be ineligible to play for their club for five days from the last international fixture. However, a resolution was found late on Friday. 

That means Ederson and Gabriel Jesus will be available on Saturday. That will be a relief to Guardiola, as Ederson's backup, American Zack Steffen, is out after testing positive for COVID-19. That would have left third-choice 36-year-old Scott Carson as the man to stop Vardy and Co. this weekend.

If Leicester can remain disciplined and spring on the break via Vardy, Harvey Barnes and the Tielemans/Maddison fulcrum, the match could surprise us.

Most likely, though, Manchester City will pound away and take advantage of a short-handed home side en route to a third win on the trot.

Match Prediction: Leicester City 1, Manchester City 2

Leeds United vs. Liverpool

Elland Road, Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, 11:30 a.m. ET

Streaming: NBCSN

Leeds United vs. Liverpool is another match that could have been impacted had the FIFA ban for Brazil players been enforced. Raphinha is one of Leeds' most exciting attacking players, and Liverpool is anchored by Alisson in goal and Fabinho just in front of the back line, so both sides will be grateful for their availability.

The Reds are in decent shape physically. Virgil van Dijk is fit, according to manager Jurgen Klopp, after an injury scare on international duty. They will be without Roberto Firmino, who is suffering from a hamstring issue, but Diogo Jota was beginning to steal his place in the starting XI permanently, and this period could cement that switch. Klopp will want to continue the strong start to the year and keep pushing up a crowded table.

A midweek heavyweight Champions League bout with old rivals AC Milan awaits Liverpool after this match, so it might have an eye on that fixture instead of the task at hand. I like Leeds and criminally underrated England forward Patrick Bamford to put the pressure on and snatch a result.

Match Prediction: Leeds United 2, Liverpool 1

Other Fixtures and Predictions

Saturday, Sept. 11

Crystal Palace vs. Tottenham Hotspur (7 a.m. ET): 3-0 Tottenham

Arsenal vs. Norwich City (10 a.m. ET): 2-1 Arsenal

Brentford vs. Brighton & Hove Albion (10 a.m. ET): 1-1

Southampton vs. West Ham United (10 a.m. ET): 2-1 West Ham

Watford vs. Wolverhampton (10 a.m. ET): 2-2

Chelsea vs. Aston Villa (12:30 p.m. ET): 2-1 Chelsea

Monday, Sept. 13

Everton vs. Burnley (3 p.m. ET): 3-1 Everton