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 was pretty much correct with his assessment of Leganes v Atletico Madrid on Saturday and turns his attention to Sunday's big games
Real Sociedad v Real Betis (11am)
There is a complete contrast in form from these two teams. After winning their first three games Real Sociedad have gone on to lose the next three.
Betis on the other hand are flying and have won three consecutive games including the famous victory at Real Madrid. They lie in fifth place with 12 points just above Real Madrid!
Real Sociedad also have to deal with the challenge of participating in the Europa League this season and that involved an away game on Thursday against Zenit St Petersburg.
Ińigo Martinez is still a doubt for this fixture and the central defender has been sorely missed with his team conceding three goals in all three defeats in his absence.
Not only are Betis winning but they are really looking like a team with momentum. Under new coach Quique Setien they are playing with style and panache, are scoring goals and are a really good watch.
They have two strikers in good form in Antonio Sanabria and Sergio Leon and keep a look out for the emerging young midfield player Fabian Ruiz. He has taken over the mantle of Dani Ceballos who departed for Real Madrid in the summer as the local hero.
He is a 21-year-old 6ft 2in skilful playmaker and was particularly instrumental in the 4-0 win on Monday evening against Levante. He scored along with Sanabria who got two and Sergio Leon the other.
Despite being away from home I'm still going to go for the Betis win. A lot depends on whether Ińigo Martinez is fit for Real Sociedad as he makes such a difference to the defence.
Terry's Tips
- Correct score: Real Sociedad 1, Betis 2 (21-2, Unibet)
- First Scorer: Sanabria (7-1, Unibet)
- Both teams to score (1-2, Unibet)
Barcelona v Las Palmas (3.15pm)
Another win for Barcelona in midweek away at Sporting Lisbon continued the impeccable start to their season and that winning run isn't going to stop in this game.
I tipped Las Palmas to beat Leganés last weekend at home and was let down by a miserable performance that saw them lose 2-0. Manolo Marquez, the new coach resigned, and has been replaced by Paco Ayesteran, the former assistant coach of Rafa Benitez at Liverpool.
Paco was one of a number of coaches who was charged with the task of trying somehow to rejuvenate Valencia in the last few seasons and will be grateful for another opportunity after that didn't go to plan. He wasn't alone!
It certainly isn't ideal to have to face Barcelona away in your first game but I'm guessing expectation levels are pretty low for Las Palmas fans in this one.
Potentially they do have the talent to make life difficult for Barcelona but consistency is clearly an issue this season. They are also erratic in defence and that combination means it might possibly go horribly wrong in this game. My expectation of Las Palmas is they might possibly score a goal.
However, they are not going to match Barcelona in that department and I expect a crushing win for Valverde's team. Own goals have certainly come to the aid of Barcelona in the last two games. Two in the 3-0 win at Girona last weekend and the 1-0 win over Sporting Lisbon was again courtesy of another own goal.
Unfortunately for Las Palmas, Messi has now gone two games without a goal after thumping four past Eibar in Barcelona's last home game and I don't expect Barcelona to need own goals in this game. I'm expecting Messi to get right back on the goal trail in this one.
Terry's Tips
- Correct score: Barcelona 4, Las Palmas 1 (10-1, Unibet)
- First Scorer: Messi (9-5, Unibet)
- Barcelona to score 3.5+ (4-6, Unibet)
Real Madrid v Espanyol (7.45pm)
Surely Real Madrid won't slip up again at the Bernabeu will they? I didn't expect them to drop any points from the home games against Valencia, Levante and Real Betis but it's only two points from nine which has placed early season pressure on Real Madrid and Zidane with a seven-point deficit to Barcelona.
Espanyol are interesting opponents. They only achieved one point and one goal in their first three games but have picked up recently with two home wins and a draw at Villarreal.
They have also scored six goals in those three games and have improved to the degree I believe they will not be a roll over for Real Madrid in this one.
They have conceded eight goals from six played which doesn't sound that impressive until you consider five of those were in one game against Barcelona at the Nou Camp.
Will we see the improved Espanyol or will it be the Espanyol we saw at the Nou Camp? All the question marks on this game though are on the home team. They have been absolutely perfect away from home with three wins out of three but the home form is a massive surprise.
Ability wise there shouldn't be any doubt Real win this one but if Espanyol don't concede early the anxiety will build up. That was evident in the 1-0 defeat against Betis when Real Madrid were guilty of snatching at the numerous chances that came their way in their desire to win all three points.
It was 27 attempts on goal against Betis with Ronaldo having 12 of those. If the same happens again in this game, and it is likely, surely it is fair to assume Real Madrid will be more efficient in front of goal.
Last season it was two tough 2-0 wins for Real Madrid and I'm going to stick with the home team and keep the faith despite their struggles so far at home.
I believe there has been sufficient improvement from Espanyol on last season's team and now they have hit their stride this season I believe they will run Real Madrid close.
Terry's Tips
- Correct score: Real Madrid 2, Espanyol 1 (19-2, Unibet)
- First Scorer: Ronaldo (9-5, Unibet)
- Barcelona to win (1-10, 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.
