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 Real Madrid's trip to Levante.
Levante v Real Madrid (Sat 7.45pm)
I’m going to go for the away win for many reasons but this may not be as straightforward as you would imagine.
Madrid were slightly flattered with the eventual 4-1 win at Valencia last week. It was two penalties that set them on their way and two very late goals that gave the outcome a deceiving look. At 2-1 up there was a 15-minute spell in the second half when Valencia were piling on the pressure and it was only good goalkeeping from Keylor Navas that kept Real ahead.
With Los Blancos closing the gap on third-place Valencia after that win, you would hope that it would spur them on to try and now finish the season not only in the top four, but top three at the very least.
Zidane will be hoping and trying to use that as a form of motivation in this game.
Last week it was easy for him to motivate his players, Real had just been knocked out of the Copa del Rey against Leganés and they were taking part in a high profile fixture away from home against opponents who were above them in the league table.
Is that motivation going to be at the same level for Saturday evening?
They face a team who haven’t won in nine games after a promising and are tumbling towards the relegation zone.
Levante did come back dramatically last week. They were two goals behind away at fellow relegation candidates Deportivo la Coruńa a brace from Ivi López in the last 10 minutes of the game got them a share of the spoils. Could that be a turning point?
They have made some interesting signings in the last week, with ex-Blackburn midfielder Ruben Rochina returning once again to La Liga, along with 33-year-old Italian Striker Giampaolo Pazzini coming in on loan from Verona. The former Inter and Milan striker has picked up 25 caps during his career and manager Juan Muniz will be hoping he can have an immediate impact.
On paper, Levante should have no chance and Real Madrid will probably win but we thought that about their games against Betis, Girona, Valencia and Villarreal at home, Leganés in the Cup and let’s not forget, the draw at the Bernabeu against Levante in week three!
I’m predicting the straightforward win for Real but if you fancy an outside wager in this one, a draw isn’t totally out of the question at 6-1 with Unibet.
Levante will have nothing to lose, there will be a capacity crowd and a couple of new signings to hopefully boost their chances of surviving relegation and this will be a typically aggressive underdog performance and if Madrid are not “up for it”, they could suffer.
I’m going to trust Zidane’s men to get the job done with sufficient motivation and quality but I’m wary they may let me down.
I’m going to go for a regulation 3-0 away win for Real Madrid with Benzema getting the opening goal (long overdue) but you have been warned!
Terry's Tips
- Levante 0, Real 3 (7-1, Unibet)
- Benzema to score first (15-4, Unibet)
- Real win to nil (59-50, 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.
