Three people in the Premier League spotlight this weekend

With just over a month remaining in this season's Premier League, the battle at the top and bottom of the table is certainly hotting up, with changes among the top four and wins down the bottom last weekend.

Chelsea are still seven points clear at the top of the standings, but defending champions Manchester City slipped back to fourth, leaving Arsenal as the nearest rivals for Jose Mourinho's side.

Ahead of this weekend's fixtures, which includes the Manchester derby, a London derby and a manager returning to his old club, Sports Mole picks out three people who will be in the news over the next few days.

1. Wayne Rooney

As Manchester United captain, Wayne Rooney is always going to be in the spotlight heading into Manchester derby weekend, and this one comes with added pressure as it will be the striker's first home derby as skipper.

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The England international has stolen the headlines in the fixture in the past, memorably scoring a spectacular overhead bicycle kick in a 2-1 home win during 2011's meeting between the neighbouring clubs.

Rooney is the club's record goalscorer in the derby, having netted 11 times against City since moving to Old Trafford from Everton in 2004, but he has been kept off the scoresheet since the 4-1 defeat at the Etihad in 2011.

United are ahead of City in the table coming into this match, and a win would move Louis van Gaal's side four points clear of their nearest rivals, so the captain will surely be keen to add to his 15 goals for United so far this season.

2. Tim Sherwood

It will be an interesting weekend for the Aston Villa manager as Tim Sherwood takes his side to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham Hotspur just 11 months after being sacked by the London club.

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Sherwood has certainly made an impact since taking over at Villa Park, guiding the team to a four-point cushion from the relegation zone, largely thanks to seven goals in five matches from Christian Benteke, including a hat-trick in the team's 3-3 draw with Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday.

The 46-year-old's last match in charge of Spurs was a 3-0 win over Villa on the final day of last season, just two days before he was relieved of his duties, so Sherwood will be keen to make a point and avoid a repeat of that scoreline.

In the run-up to this match, Sherwood has claimed that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy wanted him to stay on for this season, so it will be interesting to see how he is greeted by the club and the fans upon his return to White Hart Lane.

3. John Terry

Like Rooney, John Terry captains his side in a derby match as Chelsea go to Loftus Road to face Queens Park Rangers this weekend, and the defender's previous history against QPR has been brought up in the build-up to the match.

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Hoops boss Chris Ramsey was asked about an incident between former QPR defender Anton Ferdinand and the Chelsea skipper during Rangers' last stint in the top flight, which resulted in Terry being fined and banned by the Football Association for using racist language.

Ramsey, who is the Premier League's only black manager, has played down the incident, but admitted that he is expecting normal derby hostilities between the two clubs, so Terry could be a target for the home fans at the ground on Sunday.

Terry surely will not be fazed by any chants and whistles that the QPR fans can throw at him though, and he has been an integral part of Chelsea's defence this season, making 41 appearances in all competitions. He has also netted six goals, the last three of which have all been against London sides.