Zidane Kick-starts Real Experience with Deportivo Visit
New coach Zinedine Zidane will be looking to get off to a flying start with Real Madrid when they square off against Deportivo La Coruna in a Week 19 tie at the Santiago Barnabeu
Ten-man Real Madrid were on the verge of beating Valencia at Estadio de Mestalla last weekend, but Los Blancos eventually dropped two points in the clash against los Che, which saw the end of Rafa Benitez’s reign at the club and Zinedine Zidane taking over. Real Madrid fans have faith in the French football legend and “Zizu” is eager to mark his debut with a win over Deportivo La Coruna.
The capital club have been impressive at their Estadio Santiago Bernabeu this season and the fact that they scored 17 goals in previous three home games is certainly giving the fans a reason for optimism ahead of the visit of the Galician outfit.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace in the 3-1 win over Real Sociedad and the Portuguese superstar will prove a handful for the opposition defenders.
Madrid are desperate to melt Atletico Madrid’s advantage to one point, but the Spanish giants can’t afford any complacency against Deportivo.
Los Blancos face a must-win situation in every league match and they will definitely stick to their attacking style of play in upcoming fixtures.
Mateo Kovacic misses the match through suspension, while Daniel Carvajal misses the Deportivo La Coruna game with injury. Raphael Varane and James Rodriguez are both likely to return to the starting line-up.
However, Deportivo La Coruna are determined to continue where they left last season, but they suffered a 2-1 loss to Villarreal in their first game of the new year.
The Yellows Submarine put an end to Deportivo’s eight-game unbeaten run in the La Liga, but the Galician side stayed in the top half of the table. Los Brancoazuis, though, face an uphill task against star-studded Madrid and, no doubt, the visitors will adopt a defence-minded approach in the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu showdown.
Deportivo La Coruna recorded their last win over Madrid back in 2004, but history is unlikely to repeat itself. Striker Lucas Perez is in form of his life and the 27-yearold attacker will be the man to watch in the away side. Perez has scored 12 goals in 18 appearances in Primera Division this term.
Everything is ready for Zidane’s debut as Madrid coach. The players have huge respect for the new boss and they will fight tooth and nail in today’s La Liga clash against Deportivo.
Meanwhile, Madrid’s bitter rival, Barcelona will host Granadain a game the Catalan giants would be desperate to cart away the three points after an uninspiring goalless draw against neighbours, Espanyol, last weekend.
Buoyed by a 4-1 win over their local rivals Espanyol in Copa del Rey in midweek, Barcelona will be looking to start a new winning run in La Liga when they take on Granada, who managed to beat Sevilla in their last league match.
Barcelona failed to beat Espanyol last weekend, but they did well to outclass los Periquitos in Wednesday’s Catalan derby in Copa del Rey.
Lionel Messi impressed in the 4-1 win over Espanyol and the Argentine magician was on the right track to find his best form. The Catalan giants have been scoring goals for fun at home ground this season, but they need to keep on improving their game if they are to defend the domestic trophy.
Barca are one point behind league leaders Atletico ahead of the visit of Granada, but the Luis Enrique’s men have one game in hand.
The Catalan outfit cannot afford to blow their chance to move ahead of los Rojiblancos and there is every chance the hosts will go all guns blazing at Granada today.
Neymar is enjoying a season to remember and the Brazilian forward is likely to pose a big threat for the opposition back line.
Both Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal made their Barcelona debuts against Espanyol and the duo is pushing for a start.
Granada are not regarded as good travelers and they don’t seem capable of making a miracle in Catalonia. Nigerian attacker Isaac Success found the net in the 2-1 win over Sevilla and he will be the man to watch in the away side.
Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan will host the game between Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao. This is expected to be the most entertaining clash of today’s fixtures and it remains to be seen if los Sevillanos are capable of extending their winning run at home to eight matches.
Sevilla endured a surprisingly a poor start to the season, but the team rose from the dead and eventually finished the first half of the season in top 10.
Los Sevillanos have been struggling on the road this term, but they have been producing terrific displays at home after eighth consecutive win at home.
Unai Emery’s men blew their chance to climb to sixth place in the standings last weekend as they suffered a 2-1 loss to Granada in the local derby and are expected to be at their best to record their first league win of the new year when they take on Athletic Bilbao.
Los Sevillanos head into the match following a 2-0 win over their fiercest rivals Real Betis in Copa del Rey.
Just like Sevilla, Bilbao made a slow start to the season, but the Basques have been improving with every game and it is believe that they are at the top of their game at the moment.
The Lions have suffered only one loss in previous 11 games in all competitions and they will be looking to build on a 3-2 Copa del Rey win over Villarreal when they face Sevilla.
Ernesto Valverde’s men are still playing on three fronts, but the team’s main goal is to book their place in the Champions League. Considering that they are eight points behind fourth-placed Villarreal, this has to go down as a must-win match for the San Mames Barria outfit.
The visitors are likely to adopt an attackminded approach in today’s game and it remains to be seen if they are capable of recording their only fourth away win of the season. Aritz Aduriz just can’t stop scoring and the opposition defenders should have the experienced forward at the bay.