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.
Here are Terry's tips for Las Palmas' trip to the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid v Las Palmas (Sun 7.45pm)
With Madrid losing to Betis at home and Girona away this season, while also drawing at home against Levante and Valencia, is it too far fetched to believe that they will drop points against Las Palmas at home?
I believe it is. Despite the two consecutive defeats to Girona and Spurs, I expect them to bounce back against ideal opponents.
Las Palmas have lost the last six games in La Liga. New coach Paco Ayesteran has presided over the last four and the scoring aggregate in those games is 15 conceded and three scored.
Ayesteran also has the unenviable record of losing his last 11 games in La Liga, with seven defeats while he was boss of Valencia added to his four at Las Palmas. Incredibly they are not that bad, or at least shouldn’t be.
From last season’s team that drew 3-3 in the Bernabeu, midfielder Roque Mesa departed for Swansea, Kevin Prince Boateng returned to Germany but Alberto Aquilani, Loic Remy and Jonathan Calleri have adequately replaced those players. Perhaps the big loss is coach Quique Setien, who is doing okay at Betis now.
Despite them having a dreadful second half of the season last season nobody expected them to be in this predicament after 10 games this time round.
Last season they were 3-1 ahead in this fixture with Real down to 10 men after Gareth Bale was sent off and it was only two goals from Ronaldo, one in the 86th minute and an 89th minute penalty, that eventually denied them a famous victory.
Importantly, playmaker Jonathan Viera is out injured after picking up a hamstring in the game against Depor and he will undoubtedly be missed.
Where do we start with R Madrid at the moment? Zidane definitely has his hands tied regarding team selection and he could certainly do with some of the injured players returning ASAP.
Bale, Navas, Kovacic, Carvajal and Varane have all been missing of late and the decision to allow the likes of Morata, James Rodriguez, Pepe and Danilo to leave the club has been called into question.
That was their choice though and the invaluable experience of those players certainly would have been useful recently to adequately replace the injured and to apply pressure on those that are playing and not playing well.
However, I cannot imagine that they will slip up again in this game.
Terry's Tips
- Correct score: Real Madrid 4, Las Palmas 0 (8-1, Unibet)
- First scorer: Ronaldo (21-10, Unibet)
- Real to score over 3.5 goals (61-100, Unibet)
Unibet are 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.
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.
Ronaldo to score 2 or more goals – 1.72 : )