Derby fever hits Galicia on Sunday as a resurgent Deportivo La Coruna welcome Europa League quarter-finalists Celta Vigo to Balaidos.
Depor have won two and drawn as many of their four games under Pepe Mel, including last weekend’s 2-1 victory over Barcelona, to leave themselves eight points clear of safety in La Liga ahead of Sunday’s showdown.
“We come from a very good dynamic, the players have regained the credit they had lost and now we’re faced by rivals that are playing In Europe,” the Coach said at a Press conference.
“We know their qualities but we don’t believe that they’re better than us.”
However, their task has been made all the more difficult due to the losses of first-choice defenders Fernando Navarro and Sidnei, plus Celta’s progression to the Europa League last eight after a turnaround against Krasnodar.
“We know that there are two more important matches than the others, and that’s Depor at home and Depor in A Coruna,” remarked boss Eduardo Berizzo.
“We’ve talked about leaving behind what happened in Krasnodar and focusing on a match as important as [Sunday’s].
“We want to have a very strong and firm starting XI.”
Deportivo La Coruna (probable): Lux; Juanfran, Albentosa, Arribas, Luisinho; Bergantinos, Mosquera; Gama, Fajr, Borges; Joselu
Injuries/suspensions: Fernando (I), Sidnei (I)
Celta Vigo (probable): Sergio; Mallo, Cabral, Roncaglia, Jonny; Wass, Radoja, Pablo, Bongonda; Aspas, Guidetti
Injuries/suspensions: Ruben (I), Diaz (I)
Referee: Martinez Munuera
Form guide: Depor (W D W D L) Celta (L L D D W)
Previous meeting: Celta 4-1 Depor
Kick-off time: 17:30 GMT/18:30 CET
