Deportivo La Coruna’s Liga comeback priced at 1.67 against Elche

Deportivo La Coruna will mark their return to Spain’s top flight by hosting Elche on Monday, 17 August, in the opening round of the Liga. The match has been highlighted around a 1.67 price, with Mahamad Sangare, presenter of the sports debate programme La VAR on Burkina info TV, providing his assessment and prediction.

For Deportivo, the fixture represents a significant reunion with the elite after almost 10 years away. The Galician club were relegated during the 2017-18 season before earning promotion last term by finishing second in the Liga 2 regular season, five points behind champions Racing Santander. That position allowed them to avoid the play-offs.

The promoted side will be eager to avoid an immediate return to the second tier. They completed six unbeaten friendly matches during pre-season, recording victories over Compostela, Lugo and Genoa, as well as draws against Fiorentina, St. Pauli and Oviedo.

Those results included a 4-0 win against Compostela, a 1-0 success against Lugo and a 1-0 victory over Genoa. Deportivo drew 1-1 with Fiorentina, 2-2 with St. Pauli and 0-0 with Oviedo.

The club have also invested heavily in their squad. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has arrived from Olympique de Marseille, while Angelino has joined on loan from AS Roma. Goalkeeper Leo Roman has moved from Mallorca, and Bright Ede and 21-year-old Dutch midfielder Teun Gijselhart have also been recruited.

Deportivo have added further young players in Jonathan Asp Jensen, who came from Bayern Munich, and Lorenzo Amatucci, who joined on loan from Fiorentina after contributing four assists for Las Palmas in the second division last season. Adria Altimira has completed a permanent move from Villarreal.

The squad retains several players who made a notable contribution to promotion. Bil Nsongo scored six goals and supplied one assist in the second division, while Mario Soriano recorded six goals and eight assists. Yeremay Hernandez finished with 11 goals and 10 assists, and Zakaria Eddahchouri contributed 12 goals and four assists.

However, Yeremay Hernandez is doubtful for the opener because of a groin problem. Midfielder Carrillo is also considered uncertain. Deportivo have meanwhile lost Stoichkov, who has returned to Granada after a loan spell in which he scored five goals and provided three assists in the league.

Elche rebuilding after narrow survival

Elche are also returning to the Liga after promotion last season, but they only secured their top-flight status on the final day of the campaign. A 1-1 draw away to Girona at Montilivi lifted them to 15th place and prevented an immediate relegation.

Martin Anselmi’s team will need to improve if they are to stay up again. Their pre-season began with a 2-1 win against Kaizer Chiefs, followed by draws with Johor DT, Al-Ain and Cordoba. Elche then ended their preparations with an impressive 3-0 victory over Toulouse.

The squad has changed substantially, particularly in attack. All three of last season’s leading forwards have departed: Alvaro Rodriguez left after scoring seven goals and making five assists, Rafa Mir finished with eight goals, and Andre Silva was the club’s top scorer with 10.

Elche have also lost defender Leo Petrot, who joined Anderlecht as a free agent, while Hector Fort and goalkeeper Inaki Pena returned to FC Barcelona after their loan spells. Midfielder Febas, who scored twice and provided two assists in the Liga, has moved to Celta Vigo.

Gonzalo Villar and Victor Chust have been signed permanently, while Elche have also recruited Spain Under-19 international Buba Sangare. Nino Fer has arrived from Burgos, Javi Morcillo has joined from Atletico de Madrid, and Argentine attacking midfielder Facundo Buonanotte has moved from Brighton on loan.

The newcomers will need to establish a new attacking understanding quickly after the departure of the club’s three most productive forwards. Midfielder Yago Santiago is expected to miss the match, while Diangana is a major doubt.

Even record between the clubs

The teams have met 47 times in official matches. Elche lead the overall record with 19 victories to Deportivo’s 18, while there have been 10 draws. Elche have scored 61 goals in those games, compared with Deportivo’s 47.

The more recent record is slightly more favourable to Deportivo. In the 13 meetings recorded since 2004, they have won six times, compared with five victories for Elche, with the other two matches ending level.

The home side will draw confidence from playing in front of the Riazor crowd and from a pre-season in which they remained unbeaten and defensively solid. That setting provides a strong emotional lift for the opening match, although early-season uncertainty makes a cautious approach understandable.

The available evidence points towards a tight tactical contest in which defensive discipline could be decisive. Elche have shown encouraging attacking form in preparation and should not find it difficult to score, but both promoted clubs face significant pressure to begin the campaign positively in what is expected to be a long and intense fight for survival.

Odds can change.