Deportivo La Coruna vs Real Betis - prediction, team news, lineups

Deportivo La Coruna host Real Betis at the Riazor Stadium on Sunday evening in La Liga matchday seven, with the hosts looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season.

Antonio Hidalgo’s side have exceeded expectations in the opening weeks of the season, but Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis - third in the table- arrive looking to make it six wins from seven and further cement their place among the early-season pacesetters.

Deportivo have adapted to top-flight football far better than many expected, sitting seventh in the table with nine points from six matches - two wins, three draws and one defeat - having scored nine goals and conceded seven.

That only defeat came in their most recent outing, a narrow 1-0 home loss to Sevilla, with Angelino receiving a red card shortly after the hosts conceded, leaving Hidalgo’s side with no chance of finding an equaliser.

Deportivo had been unbeaten in five matches - an encouraging run that began with a 1-1 opening-day draw against Elche, followed by another 1-1 stalemate with Malaga, before back-to-back wins of 3-1 against Valencia and 3-2 against Villarreal gave the club genuine reason for optimism.

A 1-1 draw against Getafe preceded the Sevilla defeat, and while that loss will sting, Hidalgo’s men have shown enough across the opening weeks of the campaign to suggest they can be competitive against stronger opposition.

The early signs point to a side that has not simply returned to the top flight to fight for survival, and if Deportivo can continue producing results like their win over Villarreal, a push towards the European places by the end of the season is not beyond the realm of possibility.

Real Betis, meanwhile, are one of the stories of the early season in LaLiga, sitting third on 15 points from five wins and one defeat - level on points with Real Madrid and three behind a perfect-record Barcelona.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side have carried the momentum of last season - when they qualified for the Champions League- directly into this campaign, with their only blemish being a shocking 5-2 defeat to Levante that stood as an anomaly in an otherwise dominant run of results.

Most impressively, Betis are the only team to have beaten Real Madrid so far this season, claiming a 1-0 victory at the Estadio de La Cartuja earlier this month.

The visitors head to Galicia on the back of a 1-0 win over Getafe on Thursday, with Abde Ezzalzouli’s 45th-minute goal enough to secure the three points and extend their excellent run.

Betis have also been exceptional defensively, keeping four clean sheets in LaLiga - the most of any side in the division so far.

In their last five meetings, Betis have won three, drawn one, and Deportivo have secured only one victory, with the last encounter being in 2018 before Deportivo’s relegation.

Jose Tasende serves a one-match suspension following his red card against Sevilla and will miss Sunday’s fixture, with Hidalgo needing to reorganise his defensive options.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been the standout performer of Deportivo’s return to the top flight, becoming the first player since Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2009-10 to score in each of his side’s opening five LaLiga matchdays, and the striker will again be central to the hosts’ attacking plans.

Noe Carrillo remains a doubt despite returning to training, while Bil Nsongo could keep his place up front alongside Aubameyang despite being substituted at half time in the loss to Sevilla.

The back four is expected to be made up of Adria Altimira, Miguel Loureiro, Jose Maria Gimenez and Giacomo Quagliata in Angelino’s absence.

For Betis, Aitor Ruibal remains sidelined with a meniscus injury, while Ismael Barea is out long-term with a cruciate ligament injury, with his return not expected until late December at the earliest.

Diego Llorente is targeting a return to full fitness within the next three weeks but is unlikely to be available before the international break.

Abde Ezzalzouli, who scored the winner against Getafe, is expected to keep his place and will pose a significant threat to Deportivo’s defence on Sunday.

Deportivo La Coruna possible starting lineup:

Roman; Altimira, Loureiro, Gimenez, Quagliata; Cruz, Riki, Amatucci, Hernandez; Nsongo, Aubameyang

Valles; Firpo, Gomez, Natan, Ortiz; Deossa, Bernal; Ezzalzouli, Isco, Antony; Parrott

Betis have dropped points just once in six matches, and their consistency across both boxes makes them too strong for a Deportivo side that has yet to be truly tested at this level.

The gap in class between a Champions League side and a newly promoted team will ultimately tell, even if Deportivo make this uncomfortable for long periods.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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