Deportivo vs Atletico Madrid: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
Deportivo La Coruna will welcome Atletico Madrid to the Riazor on Saturday in what is an important clash at both ends of the table in La Liga.
For the hosts, a winless run spanning nine games since a 2-0 victory over Eibar in February has seen the Galician outfit fall into the heat of the relegation battle. Once 11th in the table, Deportivo currently reside in 16th and are level on points with Levante in the drop zone.
That difficult stretch has seen the club's manager, Victor Fernandez, thrown on the ever-growing pile of sacked coaches in La Liga this season, with Victor Sanchez replacing him and earning a point in his first game at the helm against Real Sociedad at the Anoeta last weekend. And according to Deportivo's Haris Medunjanin, the new boss has made an immediate impact.
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"We're doing very well in terms of training," Medunjanin said, per Jamie Kemp of Inside Spanish Football. "It's the first time that we've trained in a strong fashion all year. The (new) manager has a plan and we're now working in a more professional manner. I think we started to see that with the result at La Real."
Atletico, meanwhile, come into Saturday's clash on the back of their hard-fought draw against Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday and will undoubtedly have one eye on Wednesday's second leg at the Bernabeu.
However, despite being sandwiched between two enormous matches in Atleti's season, the trip to Galicia still has a significance of its own. Indeed, with Valencia travelling to Barcelona this weekend, Diego Simeone's men have the chance to put more breathing space between themselves and Los Che and strengthen their grip on the last guaranteed Champions League qualification place in La Liga.
Selection-wise, it's likely we'll see Mario Mandzukic rested for Saturday's meeting with Deportivo, meaning Fernando Torres will likely join Antoine Griezmann up front. Tiago is also expected to move into the midfield, while Saul Niguez might also start to save the legs of either Koke or Arda Turan.
Date: Saturday, April 18
Time: 5 p.m. BST / 12 p.m. EDT / 6 p.m. local
Venue: Estadio Riazor, A Coruna
TV Info: Sky Sports (UK), beIN Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), beIN Sports CONNECT (U.S.)
Form Lines
| D: 2-2 vs. Real Sociedad | D: 0-0 vs. Real Madrid |
| W: 1-1 vs. Cordoba | D: 2-2 vs. Malaga |
| L: 1-2 vs. Getafe | W: 2-0 vs. Real Sociedad |
| D: 0-0 vs. Espanyol | W: 2-0 vs. Cordoba |
| L: 0-2 vs. Valencia | W: 2-0 vs. Getafe |
| L: 3-4 vs. Sevilla | W: 1-0 vs. Bayer Leverkusen |
Predicted Formations
Players to Watch
When Deportivo hosted Sevilla at the Riazor in early March, Lucas Perez had one of those afternoons in which he could have scored four. Maybe even five.
Aside from scoring from the penalty spot, the No. 10 hit the side netting with a good chance, flashed another strike just past the right post, had a close-range shot saved and struck the bar from a free-kick.
Eventful.
On Saturday, we should see some more from Perez, given that Atleti's approach away from home tends to be quite defensive in deep and flat 4-4-2, which should give the hosts the sort of time on the ball they'd be unlikely to enjoy at the Vicente Calderon.
For the visitors, it will be intriguing to observe how Simeone selects his lineup for next week's clash with Real Madrid if Fernando Torres is able to put in a strong showing against Deportivo.
Though Mandzukic was preferred over the Spaniard on Tuesday, Simeone could opt for the greater counter-attacking threat offered by Torres at the Bernabeu, with form and recent goals certain to impact the manager's decision.
Likely to be given a chance at the Riazor, an impressive showing might just earn him a surprise start in the eighth El Derbi madrileno of the season.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Deportivo La Coruna: 4-1
Draw: 3-1
Atletico Madrid: 100-161
