La Coruna vs Real Sociedad

May 31, 2013
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Sitting just one point above relegation positions and with all three teams below them within a touching distance, Deportivo may need to win the final game of the season in order to survive. Their opponents Real Sociedad need maximum points from Riazor and Valencia to slip up against Sevilla to clinch the Champions League qualification.

Do or die

Back in March, Deportivo were on a nine-match winless run and sitting deep in the relegation zone, with even players themselves starting to lose hope they will manage to survive. Nevertheless, three straight victories over direct relegation rivals as well as the controversial 4-0 triumph over Levante saw Depor seriously boost their survival hopes. The team continued with decent performances of late, picking up six points from last six league matches and they enter the final round of the season one point clear of the relegation zone. The problem is that Celta Vigo and Mallorca are just one point behind, while Mallorca are trailing two points, and if just one of these sides win on the final day of the season, La Coruna will need a victory to survive. This basically means the hosts can be trusted to adopt a positive approach and the fact they are on a six-match unbeaten run at home should keep them in good stead for the all-important clash against Real Sociedad. The attacking trio of Riki, Pizzi and Gama has looked really good of late and they will be difficult to contain on Saturday evening as well.

Veteran defender Carlos Marchena misses out through injury, but Manuel Pablo returns having missed the Malaga game through suspension.

Promising display against Real Madrid

This has been a real breakthrough season for Real Sociedad, with the team establishing themselves as one of the most entertaining sides in Spanish La Liga. La Real were not interested in discarding their attack-minded style of play even when facing Spain’s strongest sides and that has won them a lot of admirers in the process. Just few weeks back it looked as though Real Sociedad would be playing Champions League football next term, but then they dropped no less than seven points in last four matches, allowing Valencia to open up a two-point lead before the final match of the season. Philippe Montanier’s side, nonetheless, have reason for optimism ahead of the trip to Galicia, with 2-1 away win over Sevilla and an excellent performance in the 3-3 draw with Real Madrid seriously boosting the players’ confidence. Having scored no less than 12 goals in last 5 league matches, Real Sociedad can be trusted to continue the impressive run at Riazor, but the question is can they stop in-form La Coruna from scoring more than one goal.

Key attacker Carlos Vela should return after recovering from injury, but Dani Estrada and Gorka Elustondo remain on the sidelines.

Verdict

Even if there is a lot at stake for both sides, chances are we are going to see a very open game, as, after all, both teams are in desperate need of three points. With Deportivo La Coruna and especially Real Sociedad notching goals for fun of late, we could easily see goals galore at Riazor.

Top pick: Over 3 goals   1.92 (23/25) @ bet365

Alternative pick 1: Over 3.5 goals   2.40 (7/5) @ Sportingbet

Alternative pick 2: Draw   3.75 (11/4) @ William Hill

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