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May 14, 2016 at 4pm UK
 
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Preview: Deportivo La Coruna vs. Real Madrid

:Headline: Preview: Deportivo La Coruna vs. Real Madrid: ID:272602: from db_amp
Sports Mole previews Saturday's La Liga clash between Deportivo La Coruna and Real Madrid at the Riazor.

Real Madrid must beat Deportivo La Coruna and hope for a favour from Granada in order to snatch the La Liga title away from Barcelona on the final weekend of the season.

Just one point separates the top two teams entering week 38, but Real Madrid's result will be meaningless if Barcelona manage to beat Granada in their final league match.


Deportivo

Eight wins, 18 draws and 11 defeats is how Deportivo have performed in La Liga this season, with that record giving them 42 points and 13th position in the table entering week 38.

They are six points clear of the relegation zone and have actually lost the joint-fewest league games this season outside of the top four, but just eight victories in 37 matches is an indication of their troubles throughout the campaign.

Incredibly, Depor actually have the worst home record in the entire league this season - picking up just 20 points from their 18 on home soil. They have also shipped 32 goals at the Riazor, although eight of those came against Barcelona last month.

Between April 2 and May 1, Deportivo failed to record a single win, but a 2-0 success over Villarreal last time out has at least taken the pressure off entering this weekend's match.

It is worth remembering that Deportivo won La Liga in the 1999-2000 season and then finished third or higher in their next four campaigns. They have gradually slipped away, however, and have spent two seasons in the Segunda since 2011.

Last season, the Blue and Whites finished 16th and while it does appear that they will improve on that position this time around, it has still been a largely frustrating campaign. Victory over Real Madrid, however, would be the perfect way to end the 2015-16 season.

Recent form: LDLDLW


Real Madrid

In the middle of March, Real Madrid were down in third position and 15 points behind Barcelona, who showed no signs of slowing down in the final months of the season.

A wobble from Barcelona, however, has allowed Real Madrid to take the title race to the final weekend and any slip from the Catalan giants would open the door for Zinedine Zidane's team.

It would be fair to say that the experiment of Rafael Benitez did not work, but Zidane has made a serious impression over the last couple of months. Indeed, Los Blancos have now won their last 11 league games after a 3-2 success over Valencia last weekend kept their title hopes alive.

Not since the end of February have Real Madrid been beaten in the league, and that was a 1-0 reverse at home to Atletico Madrid. That defeat has inspired the capital club, however, and they will also take on Atletico in the Champions League final later this month.

Real Madrid are also currently on their best away league run since March 2014, winning seven of their last 10 on their travels and remaining unbeaten. What's more, this is already Real Madrid's third best goal-scoring season in La Liga - hitting 108 goals in their 37 matches to date.

Despite being 32-time winners of La Liga, Real Madrid have not collected the top prize since 2012, and it does appear that they will miss out once again, unless Granada can pull off a shock result.

Recent form: WWWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWDWWW


Team News

Depor boss Victor Sanchez has no fresh injury concerns from the win over Villarreal last weekend and could be tempted to select the same XI.

Cani and Jonas Gutierrez are both pushing for inclusion after coming off the bench last weekend, but Fede Cartabia and Luis Alberto are expected to continue in the wide positions.

Lucas Perez will be looking to add to his 17 league goals for the season.

As for Real Madrid, Keylor Navas, Pepe and Luka Modric are all expected to return from injuries which forced them to miss the 3-2 win over Valencia.

Gareth Bale is also expected to play a part, while Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema will continue to build their fitness ahead of the Champions League final.

Deportivo possible starting lineup:
Manu; Laure, Arribas, Sidnei, Juanfran; Cartabia, Fajr, Bergantinos, Mosquera, Alberto; Perez

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Navas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Modric, Kroos; Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale


Head To Head

After winning six straight home league games against Real Madrid, Deportivo have now gone four without a victory against Los Blancos on home soil - losing three times in the process.

Real Madrid thumped Deportivo 5-0 when the pair met at the Bernabeu earlier this season and also recorded an 8-2 victory on their last visit to La Coruna (September 2014).

Deportivo have also only scored three times in their last five league games with Real Madrid.


We say: Deportivo 0-2 Real Madrid

Real Madrid must win to put the pressure on Barcelona and it would be a major surprise if they passed up the chance to potentially win the title. Deportivo impressed against Villarreal last weekend, but we expect Los Blancos to run out comfortable winners at the Riazor once again.



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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona12110140112933
2Real Madrid1173121111024
3Atletico MadridAtletico126511871123
4Villarreal116322019121
5Osasuna126331716121
6Athletic Bilbao125431812619
7Real BetisBetis125431210219
8Mallorca12534109118
9Rayo Vallecano114431210216
10Celta Vigo125161820-216
11Real Sociedad124351010015
12GironaGirona124351517-215
13Sevilla124351217-515
14AlavesAlaves124171419-513
15Leganes122551216-411
16Getafe12174810-210
17Espanyol123181122-1110
18Las PalmasLas Palmas122371321-89
19Real ValladolidValladolid12228924-158
20Valencia11146817-97
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