Deportivo La Coruña vs Real Zaragoza Match Preview
For the third time in eight years Deportivo and Zaragoza will face each other on the first match of the league, and the statics highly favor Deportivo, with a positive balance on every confrontation, though the second match of the last season was won by Zaragoza by one goal. Former Boca Juniors' player Claudio Morel will probably be within Lotina's starting eleven, joining Diego Colotto in the defense. "Every match is tough, but you must win when you're playing home" were his declarations regarding this match, and this is the kind of player Lotina is looking for to build a solid squad. Adrian will be the only striker in Lotina's experimental 4-5-1 formation that should be strong enough the weakest defense of the last season.
Suffering more than expected, Zaragoza managed to retain the category last season and the players do not want to go through all of that once again. For this reason Jose Aurelio Gay does not hesitate choosing the starting eleven. Leo Franco will be responsible for keeping Zaragoza's goal shut, while Adam Pinter and Nicolas Bertolo will be an integral part of Real Zaragoza's offense. Both midfielders are known by their technique and depth of view, but the team might be lacking an efficient striker to capitalize the offensive maneuvers into goals. Bertolo declared the team is "humble and hard working", and he believes Deportivo might be caught off guard by the versatility of Zaragoza's defense. Gabi Fernández and José Edmilson will have the difficult task of recovering the ball and leading the advance, a difficult task against the Super Depor.
Deportivo La Coruña vs Real Zaragoza Match Report
Deportivo and Zaragoza's game states clearly what happens when two teams without real offensive creativity face each other, as both coaches had troubles sharpening their offense. Two shots on goal per team in 90 minutes and one single yellow card demonstrate how little pressure both teams suffered throughout the whole match. Jorge Lopez and Jose Guardado, responsible for leading the advance in the right wing for both teams were truly absent for most of the match, and their substitution came too little too late to had a real impact on the result.
On the other hand, Zaragoza's Nicolas Bertolo did enough merits to give his team the lead, but Manu kept Deportivo's goal well guarded the whole match. Deportivo demanded two penalty shots that were rightfully ignored by referee Teixeira Vitienes, and the disappointment of the crowds could be heard miles beyond. Deportivo's most dangerous striker Marcos Perez missed a half-made goal, and much of Super Depor's future will depend on his performance in the future.
