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 the Friday night fixture.
Sevilla v Real Socieded (Fri 8pm)
It’s nine without a win for Sevilla in all competitions. Their last victory was the spectacular success against Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Champions League and this dreadful run of form has seen Vincenzo Montella lose his job after last week’s defeat at Levante.
It wasn’t a surprise that he has been replaced, and it is hardly a surprise that the club have turned to old stalwart Joaquin Caparros to be his immediate replacement for the remainder of the season – their third manager of this campaign.
They have five games to find some form and get themselves back into seventh position and the final Europa League position. They currently sit in eighth, just one point behind Getafe with a game in hand, which is at home to Real Madrid next Wednesday evening.
Caparros is the ideal temporary replacement. He is a very popular old manager and is a Sevillista to the core. I’m backing him to have the desired effect, not only in this game but to also ensure that Sevilla get into Europe next season.
The difficulty in this one in terms of a prediction is team selection. The team needs shaking up and there may be one or two who were left on the sidelines under Montella returning to the starting line-up.
Caparros prefers a 4-4-2 formation as opposed to Montella’s 4-2-3-1. Montella’s problem was never changing that system, particularly when it was needed during games.
My guess, and it is only a guess, is that the front two will be youngster Carlos Fernandez, who got a stunning goal last week, and Wissam Ben Yedder.
Regarding Real Sociedad, they do have an outside chance of also qualifying for next season’s Europa League. If they were to win this tie, then they would go above Sevilla. However, I’m going for a rejuvenated Sevilla team and for a rejuvenated set of home supporters to have the necessary lift to salvage something from what has been a desperate La Liga season.
Terry's Tips
- Sevilla 2, Sociedad 1 (7-1, Unibet)
- Ben Yedder to score first (7-1, Unibet)
- Sevilla win and btts (41-20, 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.
