DING, DING ! ROUND TWO AT THE RIAZOR !

DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA - SEVILLA

This is the second of the three meetings between these two clubs in eight days. Hosts will be fielding a much stronger team today, than the one which lost 2-1 in the Copa on Wednesday, with all their big name players returning. They have thrown in the odd stinker this season, but overall have impressed me and many other viewers, a return to their huge success of the early decade, is not impossible to envisage over the next season or two.

Seville will be without Javi Varas, Javi Navarro, Abdoulay Konko, Federico Fazio, Aquivaldo Mosquera, Lautaro Acosta, Javier Chevanton , Arouna Kone and the suspended Aldo Duscher, at least five of whom would have been in the squad and they have been forced to call up three youth players. This means that they will have to field very much their Copa line up, with just two enforced changes. To my mind, this gives a big advantage to the home team, who will be the better rested and dare I say prepared, of the two. I understand that Seviila coach Manolo Jiminez had no option but to field his best available eleven in midweek, after being warned that a positive result was essential to his future at the club, which seems harsh, given their current standing, although that was on the back of two poor league performances.

Deportivo are very strong at home, where they are 6-1-1 in the league this season, 9-2-1 in all starts. In the last 12 months, they have played 18 Primera fixtures at the Riazor (in surroundings almost as beautiful as Griffin Park, see photo ), with a 14-2-2 record, including wins over Barcelona, Sevilla (last season) and Real Madrid (twice). They have equally solid stats when Sevilla come to call, losing just twice in 55 years (!) and at level ball, they look something to get stuck in to.

Likely line ups:

Deportivo: Aranzubia - Manuel Pablo, Lopo, Zé Castro, Filipe - Sergio, Juan Rodríguez - Lafita, Verdú, Guardado - Bodipo.
Sevilla: Palop - Crespo, Escudé, Squillaci, Fernando Navarro - Jesús Navas, Romaric, Maresca, Adriano - Luis Fabiano, Kanouté.

7 points Deportivo level ball 1.86 asian line.

Back Later.