laopinioncoruna.es
Deportivo La Coruna host Osasuna at the Estadio Abanca-Riazor on Monday for a crucial Matchday 11 LaLiga game. Both sides head into this encounter looking to build on positive midweek cup outings and find consistency in the league. Luismi Carrion's side enter this match fresh off a morale-boosting 3-0 win away against Auriense in the Copa del Rey. In La Liga, however, they have been finding it tough to turn draws into wins, suffering a narrow 0-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid prior to the cup. Playing at the Riazor brings a strong expectation to take the initiative, especially with their supporters eager to climb away from the lower half of the table. Osasuna also cruised through their Copa del Rey first-round assignment in style, thrashing Atletico Calatayud 6-0. Their league form hit a speed bump just before that with a 0-2 loss away to Sevilla, meaning they will be highly motivated to restore their away form in Galicia. Strikers like Ante Budimir remain central to their physical, direct approach. Historically, across 80 official meetings, Deportivo holds the upper hand with 38 wins compared to Osasuna's 28. More importantly for this fixture, Deportivo boast an impressive historical record defending home turf at the Riazor against the side from Pamplona. We could expect a tight, fiercely contested match. Deportivo will likely attempt to control possession and exploit spaces through the wings, while Osasuna relies on defensive compactness, set-piece efficiency, and quick transitions. Both teams enter after high-scoring defensive rotations in the cup, but league matches between them tend to be tightly fought tactical matches.
