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 he previews Real Madrid at Malaga.
Malaga v Real Madrid (Sun 7.45pm)
Just as inevitable that Barcelona will win the league it is inevitable that Malaga will be relegated. They are now 14 points away from safety and with only seven games to play it is a hopeless task.
They better make the most of this “glamour” fixture because they won’t be enjoying one next season.
How can Malaga make the most of this game? They can at least give their faithful supporters something to cheer about if they can push Madrid all the way in this match. Despite being pretty much bottom all season they are a team who give their all, very rarely get thrashed but always appear to come up short.
They have suffered 13 defeats this season by the odd goal and it is clear where their main problems lie. They are the lowest scorers in the division with a measly 19 from 31 played. Defensively they have conceded less than fifth-place Real Betis!
What will we see from Real on Sunday? I have no doubt that players will be rested but I’m seeing some confusion from Zidane on what is his best team at the moment. That is unlike recent seasons when perhaps there was not enough pressure on the players for a place in the strongest starting line-up.
Bale is out, then he is in, then brought off at half-time. Casemiro surprisingly brought off at half-time when Juventus had a two-goal lead was also a strange choice for him to make and no Benzema at all against Juventus was also another surprise as Real got through by the skin of their teeth.
I can’t see them losing this game and I expect the likes of Kovacic, Asensio, Benzema and maybe Bale again to start in this game. Whoever he chooses in this tie I fully expect them to still have enough to beat Malaga.
It was a 3-2 home win for Real earlier in the season at the Bernabeu and I’m going for another single goal defeat for Malaga again. I’m predicting a 2-1 away win although first scorer is a difficult one due to team selection. If Ronaldo plays he is the one to back, if not go for Benzema who might play with a bit of fire in his belly. Some say that might be just what he needs.
Terry's Tips
- Malaga 1, Real 2 (15-2, Unibet)
- Ronaldo to score first (23-10, Unibet)
- Both teams to score (83-100, Unibet)
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