MX23RW : Thursday, April 25 16:33:17| >> :60:101:101:

Three people in the Premier League spotlight this weekend

Sports Mole highlights two players and a manager that will be in the spotlight during this weekend's Premier League action.

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.

Wayne Rooney scores against Manchester City on February 12, 2011.© Getty Images

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.

Tim Sherwood manager of Aston Villa celebrates as Christian Benteke of Aston Villa scores their second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers at Villa Park on April 7, 2015© Getty Images

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.

Chelsea's English defender John Terry celebrates after scoring a goal during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at White Hart Lane in London on September 28, 2013© Getty Images

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.

ID:216263: cacheID:216263:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8110:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Chris Ramsey manager of QPR looks on prior to the Barclays Premier League match between Hull City and Queens Park Rangers at KC Stadium on February 21, 2015
Read Next:
Ramsey plays down unrest over Terry incident
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
10am
Blanch
Nadal
Result
Cachin
Ofner
6 6
3 3
Result
Elahi Galan
Bautista-Agut
64 6 1
77 4 6
Result
Gasquet
Sonego
2 5
6 7
Result
Hanfmann
Mensik
4 63
6 77
10am
Koepfer
Carballes Baena
10am
Kovacevic
Medjedovic
Result
Lajovic
Monteiro
4 3
6 6
Result
Machac
Ruusuvuori
6 1 6
4 6 2
10am
Michelsen
Fonseca
Result
Nishioka
Auger-Aliassime
6 1 4
4 6 6
Result
O'Connell
Arnaldi
4 1
6 6
Result
Purcell
Giron
4 6 77
6 4 62
10am
Ramos-Vinolas
Kotov
Result
Tabilo
Cobolli
7 4 4
5 6 6
Result
Zhizhen
Kecmanovic
3 2
6 6
Result
Azarenka
Maria
6 6
3 1
10am
Eala
Cirstea
10am
Annie Fernandez
Potapova
Result
Gauff
Rus
6 6
0 0
Result
Keys
Camelia-Begu
77 78
63 66
Result
Podoroska
Navarro
2 1
6 6
10am
Karolina Schmiedlova
Jabeur
10am
Swiatek
Wang
10am
Baez
Van Assche
10am
Coric
Zverev
10am
Martin Etcheverry
Shapovalov
10am
Humbert
Van De Zandschulp
10am
Hurkacz
Draper
10am
Marozsan
Cerundolo
10am
Paul
Klein
10am
Rublev
Bagnis
10am
Alexandrova
Krueger
10am
Andreeva
Noskova
10am
Bejlek
Kalinskaya
10am
Boulter
Montgomery
10am
Bronzetti
Rybakina
10am
Collins
Danilovic
3pm
Cristian
Krejcikova
10am
Dolehide
Kalinina
10am
Garcia
Wang
10am
Linette
Sabalenka
10am
Pavlyuchenkova
Saville
Result
Sorribes Tormo
Svitolina
6 7
3 5
Result
Vekic
Sakkari
3 2
6 6
Result
Arango
Yastremska
6 5 4
0 7 6
Result
Osaka
Samsonova
2 6 5
6 4 7
Result
Ostapenko
Bouzas Maneiro
6 6
3 1
Result
Haddad Maia
Errani
6 6
3 2
2.30pm
Lourdes Carle
Kudermetova
2.30pm
Mertens
Stephens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Liverpool34228475344174
3Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!