Real Madrid go into their last La Liga fixture of the season one point behind leaders Barcelona who only need to win at Granada to secure the La Liga crown. Real Madrid will be looking to win this fixture and will hope that Granada manage to put a spanner in the works of the Barcelona juggernaut.
Real Madrid manager, Zinedine Zidane had given up on the title race as early as February, when Barca held a nine-point lead over their eternal rivals. Barcelona suffered a horrid spell of form in late April, dropping nine points. This allowed Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid back into the title race. Atletico are now out of the reckoning after their loss to Levante last weekend.
What managers had to say
The Galacticos will be champions if they manage to win this game and Barcelona drop points at Granada. Manager, Zinedine Zidane in a press conference said, “We have to keep adding points and then Granada have to play their game. We'll do the utmost to win ours. Now we're second there's only one game and anything can happen. You never know in football. We have to be aware of that and fight to the end. The first thing is to win our game.”
Zidane added, “There'll be rotation but we think only of Deportivo. Then there are 15 days to prepare for the Champions League Final. We'll fight until the last minute."
Deportivo coach, Victor Sanchez said, “I dedicate staying up to the fans, who have had a bad time. The first goal (against Villarreal) was important because it gave us peace of mind and from there we worked well. We were fortunate they didn't score. Today we've had the luck and the success we've lacked in the past thanks to our defence, because today we showed great strength at the back."
Also read: Marcelo urges Real Madrid to be patient against Deportivo
Team News
Real Madrid
The Galacticos have Gareth Bale returning to fitness after a knee injury and is expected to start the match. The only absentee for Real Madrid will be Lucas Vasquez who misses out with a knee injury
Deportivo La Coruna
Laure and Juanfran Moreno are carrying knocks and will most likely not feature against Real Madrid. Jonas Gutierrez could feature if he recovers in time from injury while Juan Domingues and goalkeeper German Lux will miss out through injury.
Probable starting lineups
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Navas; Danilo, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Kroos, Modric, Isco; Bale, Benzema Ronaldo
Deportivo La Coruna (4-3-3): Manu; Pablo, Vergini, Vigaray, Suarez; Medran, Lacen, Gomez; Leon, Vasquez, Sarabia
Recent Form
Real Madrid: WWWWWW (Last match: Real Madrid 3-0 Valencia)
Real Madrid have been in imperious form ever since Barcelona allowed their lead over Madrid to drop to just one point. They have won their last six matches in La Liga and are hoping to break Barcelona’s stranglehold over the La Liga by winning their first title in 4 years.
Deportivo La Coruna: LDLDLW (Last match: Villareal 0-2 Deportivo La Coruna)
Deportivo only in the last gameweek saved themselves from relegation after winning 2-0 at Villarreal, which was their first win in seven league outings. Deportivo now have nothing but pride to play for. The fixture does not bode them well as they have lost their last five encounters with the Madrid-based giants.
Key Battles
Ronaldo vs Pablo
Deportivo have lost their previous five encounters against Real Madrid, losing the last one by a 5-0 margin. Cristiano Ronaldo is a constant goal threat for the Galacticos and will have to be stopped if Deportivo want to take anything away from this game
Prediction
Deportivo 0-2 Real Madrid
Deportivo go into this game having nothing to play for. They have secured safety from relegation and will be playing for pride. This fixture is a must win match for Real Madrid as they still have a chance of being La Liga champions. The Los Blancos will put up a clinical performance resulting in a comfortable victory for Real Madrid.
Betting odds (bet365.com)
Deportivo win: 12/1
Draw: 7/1
Real Madrid: 2/11
