Deportivo La Coruna vs Real Madrid: Preview and Prediction

Real Madrid begin the defence of their La Liga title with a trip to Deportivo on Sunday evening.

Real have kicked off the season on the best note possible winning the UEFA Super Cup and the Spanish Super Cup. The ruthless manner with which the team defeated Barcelona on both legs gives the team extra confidence going into the season.

Deportivo avoided relegation with some ease last season, finishing 16th on the final La Liga table, 5 points better than Sporting Gijon in 18th. The Branquiazuis will be out to cause an opening day upset when the Champions come visiting

Real Madrid Team News

Young defender Jesus Vallejo is out injured and will miss the match. Midfielder Matteo Kovacic trained alone sometimes last week but should be available after starting against Barca in the Spanish Super Cup second leg.

Cristiano Ronaldo misses out as he serves the second game of his five match ban for shoving the referee in the first leg Super Cup match against Barca.

Other than these and baring any late injury, Zidane has close to a full squad to select from. Asensio and Isco have hit the ground running with impressive displays and will be pushing for a start.

Deportivo Team News

Striker Florian Andone is a doubt for the match after missing some training sessions last week and will have to undergo a late fitness test.

Attacking midfielder Carles Gil will miss the match due to a groin problem. Emre Colak is unavailable due to accumulation of five yellow cards carried over from last season. Fede Valverde cannot play against his parent club Real Madrid as he's on loan.

New signing Adrián López is available for selection while midfielder Juan Domínguez missed the last two training sessions as he is about to cancel his contract with the club.

Last few matches

Deportivo had an impressive preseason, though that count for nothing as the season kicks off. They suffered only two defeats in six preseason games, which came against FC Porto and Premier League side West Bromwich Albion.

Deportivo's preseason results at a glance:

Pontevedra 0 : 5 Deportivo
Ferrol 1 : 4 Deportivo
FC Porto 4 : 0 Deportivo
Real Oviedo 0 : 0 Deportivo
Deportivo La Coruna 2 : 0 West Bromwich Albion
Tenerife 0 : 3 Deportivo

Real Madrid got far from pleasing preseason results, but have turned things around with wins in competitive matches against Manchester United and Barcelona.

Here's a glance of their last five results:

MLS All Stars 1 : 1 Real Madrid

Real Madrid 2 : 1 Man United

Barcelona 1 : 3 Real Madrid

Real Madrid 2 : 0 Barcelona

Real Madrid 2 : 3 Barcelona

Match Stats and Facts

- Real Madrid have won five of their last six away matches against Deportivo in all competitions.

- Madrid have scored 22 goals conceding just 5 in their last five away matches against Deportivo. The Los Blancos have scored at least two goals in each of those matches. 

- The  last 0-0 draw Real played away at Deportivo was in the La Liga during the 2011/2012 season. The likes of Kaka, Ozil, Di Maria, Carvalho and Adebayor played in that match.

- Ángel Di María is Real Madrid's last player to be sent off in an away match against Deportivo. The Argentine got his second yellow card in the 91 minute of a 2-1 win, after assisting Madrid's first goal in February 13 . Kaka and Gonzalo Higuaín were the goal scorers for Madrid on the day.

- Madrid's 8-2 win against Deportivo in September 2014 is their biggest away win in the League.

- Madrid's 6-2 win at Deportivo last season was one of the highest goal scoring matches in the La Liga last season.

Key players to watch

Isco, Asensio and Bezema

Predictions

If Real Madrid start the game with the same tempo they played against Barcelona in the second leg of the Spanish Cup, then it should end up a high scoring game.

Irrespective of what happens, this should be a straight win for Madrid.