REMEMBER Terry Gibson? Well, we've signed him and while he won't be kicking a football he'll be looking into his crystal ball and bringing us his best Spanish tips every week.
The ex-Spurs, Coventry and Manchester United striker is probably best remembered for his time as part of the infamous Wimbledon Crazy Gang side of the late 80s and early 90s. Now an expert in all things La Liga he works as a pundit and co-commentator on Sky Sports’ Spanish football coverage and is a contributor to unibet.
Terry's tips for Saturday's Barcelona game were spot and he's looking at the matches at Eibar v Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid v Valencia on Sunday.
Eibar v Athletic Bilbao (5.15pm)
It’s the first Basque derby of the season and this is a really interesting fixture. Despite Eibar showing improvement season in season out they are still always one of the teams people tip for relegation at the start of every season.
For me though it wasn't a surprise to see them pick up a win last week away at Malaga. While there have been a few changes in Mendilibar's squad the performance at Malaga retained all the attributes that have served them well over the last couple of seasons.
They are hard-working, direct and rely on a sound 4-4-2 formation. There is nothing complicated about their style of play but it is effective.
I'm actually going to go for them to win this game. It will be a slight surprise seeing as out of the six games played between the two in La Liga Eibar have only the one victory. It's one match drawn and four wins for Athletic.
However, Athletic have been playing qualifiers in the Europa League and this game comes on the back of the second-leg tie with Panathinaikos on Thursday evening.
That was the fourth game Athletic have played in the competition and Cuzco Ziganda has had to find a balancing act of making sure players are not overdoing it at this early stage of the season.
Aritz Aduriz was rested for last week’s home game against Getafe in which Athletic looked a little bit below their usual high-tempo standard and as always an Athletic Bilbao team without him just isn't the same.
With Eibar being solid, fresher and at home I'm going to predict them to succeed. I'm going to go for Athletic to take the lead with Inaki Williams scoring first but Eibar to make a comeback and be the stronger team in the second half. My prediction is a 2-1 win for Eibar.
Terry's Tips
- Eibar to win 2-1 (17-2, unibet)
- Ińaki Williams to score first (17-2, unibet)
- Eibar to win from behind (13-1, unibet)
Real Madrid v Valencia (9.15pm)
It was an authoritative performance by Real Madrid in last week’s 3-0 win at Deportivo and it is hard once again to bet against Zidane's team this week.
I could try and make a case for Valencia, believe it or not, as they will be much improved on what we have seen in recent seasons but unfortunately for them that improvement will still not be enough to get anything in this game.
If it was at the Mestalla it might be a problem for Real but at the Bernabeu I expect them as most people will do to have enough to see off a spirited, motivated and a well-coached team.
Zidane is not yet having to worry about rotating the team but might just make one or two changes to freshen things up, although certainly nothing too drastic. Ramos is suspended as is, of course, Ronaldo.
It's now 69 consecutive games in which Real Madrid have scored in! That is some record indeed and I have no doubt they will move on to 70 after scoring once again in this one.
Therefore, with a very strong line-up, I expect a reasonably tough encounter but with Real Madrid winning by a two goal margin.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Valencia score but I would put my faith in Benzema opening the scoring first in a 3-1 victory for the La Liga and Champions League holders.
Terry's Tips
- Real Madrid to win r-1 (17-2, unibet)
- Benzema to score first (33-10, unibet)
- Both teams to score (4-6, unibet)
Anglo-Italian Paolo Bandini writes about Italian football for the Guardian and his tips appear here thanks to our football partner at MrFixitsTips, Unibet. They're making a big splash in the UK betting scene and if you join them today you can claim up to £30 in Welcome Bonuses when you deposit and place your first bet.
Resident football tipster at Scotland's most read newspaper, the Daily Record, for over 20 years and proud host of one the best betting communities on the web with daily betting tips.
Real wins in2nd time!!!