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 previews two of tonight's La Liga games and is backing Real Madrid to end their home hurt.
Real Madrid v Real Betis (9pm)
An impressive away win for Real Madrid on Sunday evening at the Anoeta against then unbeaten Real Sociedad will boost the belief and confidence of Zidane's team. Importantly, the 3-1 win was wrapped up nicely with a reminder of the quality and ability of Gareth Bale.
After the two home draws against Valencia and Levante it was crucial that Real Madrid didn't drop any more points, even at this early stage of the season.
They didn't and now they have to firmly focus on improving their home form and look to get their first home win of the season against Real Betis and I expect them to do exactly that.
Although to be fair I did predict them, as most people would have done, to have beaten both Valencia and Levante in the Bernabeu but with Ronaldo back in the starting line-up after his ban I don't anticipate that they will miss as many chances as they did in both of those games.
Betis have played two away from home and lost both. Mind you it certainly hasn't been an easy start to their away campaign with games at Barcelona and Villarreal followed by Real Madrid! It may be a little bit premature to declare that they might struggle away from the Benito Villamarin this season as there are easier away games to come.
It was a good win for Betis at the weekend against Deportivo la Coruńa with Joaquin scoring both goals in a 2-1 win. The 36-year-old scored for the 18th consecutive season of his career. A fine achievement for a very popular player. However, I fail to see any joy in this game for Joaquin and his team mates as I see a very determined Real Madrid being just a bit too strong for Quique Setien’s team.
I'm not going for a heavy win but I'm going for a two-goal margin in favour of Real Madrid and I'm leaning towards Betis getting a goal. I'm going for a 3-1 Real Madrid win. It has to be Ronaldo with the opening goal and I wouldn't bet against him scoring all three.
Terry's Tips
- Correct score: Real Madrid to win 3-1 (9-1, unibet)
- First scorer: Cristiano Ronaldo (11-5, unibet)
- Safe bet: Both teams to score (4-5, unibet)
Sevilla v Las Palmas (9pm)
Both of these teams are in good form and it's fair to say both are easy on the eye to watch, so this should be well worth watching.
Sevilla are now unbeaten in second place with three wins and a draw, coupled with a good draw at Anfield in the Champions League. Things are once again settling down nicely at the Sanchez Pizjuan with yet another new coach and another load of new players. It's quite remarkable how they do this season in season out.
Las Palmas have certainly bounced back and are heading in the right direction after losing the first two games including a 5-1 hiding from Atletico in their home stadium.
It's now back-to-back wins for Las Palmas thanks in the main to three ex-Premier League players. Alberto Aquilani is really having a good influence in midfield and the goals of Jonathan Calleri and Loic Remy have been hugely important. Both have scored twice so far this season and Remy's have been winning goals against Malaga and Athletic Bilbao.
I'm going to go for home advantage in this game though, I wouldn't be surprised to see numerous changes made from both teams as managers in La Liga do tend to panic with regard to a midweek round of fixtures and players overdoing things.
Sevilla have the better squad to cope with this situation and at the weekend Las Palmas play Leganés at home. Coach Manolo Marquez will probably look at that game as more winnable and might rest one or two of the important players to keep them fresh for that one. I'm afraid that's how it sometimes goes in this part of the world.
Eduardo Berizzo could make six or seven changes from the team that won at Girona on Sunday and they still will be very strong. Wissam Ben Yedder remained on the bench for that one and I anticipate he will start in this game. Go for him to open the scoring in a 2-0 victory for Sevilla.
Terry's Tips
- Sevilla to win 2-0 (7-1, unibet)
- First scorer: Wissam Ben Yedder (10-3, unibet)
- Safe bet: Sevilla win (2-5, unibet)
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An ex-Tottenham, Coventry and Manchester United striker, Terry 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.
