- Espanyol have lost three of their last five matches, winning once and drawing once.
- Deportivo have a record of 1 win, 2 draws and 2 defeats away in LaLiga, conceding eight goals in five trips.
- Roberto Fernandez has scored six times in seven LaLiga 2026/2027 appearances to lead Espanyol's scoring chart.
Pericos can outscore Deportivo in a cagey encounter
Espanyol enter this Saturday's LaLiga clash against Deportivo A Coruna on the back of a wild week that saw them lose after extra time to Segunda division side Sestao River Club in the Copa del Rey before beating Villarreal 1-0 away in the league. Two very different results, it is true, but neither of them convincing enough to take the Pericos much higher than the 12th position they currently occupy in the LaLiga 2026/2027 table.
Sergio Garcia has overseen just one win, one draw and three defeats in the five matches he has been in charge of Espanyol since 29 October 2026. It is hard to say that the club are really heading in a positive direction, although there are clear signs that Garcia prefers a more structured and counter-pressing approach to the one employed by the previous regime.
Deportivo A Coruna are in worse shape than the hosts, having failed to win any of their last five LaLiga matches (D2, L3). They sit 11th in the table, level on 11 points with Espanyol from ten games played, and have conceded eight goals in their five away games in 2026-2027.
Structured Dépor can frustrate Espanyol
Antonio Hidalgo's Dépor side are built on structure, as was evident during the early days of his tenure which began on 1 July 2025. The Galician side plays a first-down, disciplined pressing game that gets numbers behind the ball and lines compact with wing-backs covering the width. Their attacking moves are fast and direct, feeding the focal striker, but can be nullified when opponents keep the ball well.
Espanyol's game is all about fluid possession and the width of the attacking line, be that the three behind one or two up front. The Pericos can play a back five with both wings occupied, but they also like to press with numbers in transition, creating a shifting shape. This looks like a clear tactical contrast on paper at least, although Deportivo have recently shown they can stay in games with the 1-1 home draw against Levante and 1-0 away defeat to Atletico Madrid indicating they are not there to be overrun.
Espanyol have that little bit extra up front
The draw looks tempting at 3.3 given the contrasting fortunes of the two clubs and the lack of value in the win-draw-win markets, where Espanyol are favourites at 2.2 with Deportivo 3.2. But we feel Deportivo are not a good bet at those odds and prefer to take the hosts to edge a close LaLiga tussle.
Javi Hernandez is Espanyol's creative spark with four assists in seven games, but Roberto Fernandez has been their danger man with six goals in the same number of LaLiga 2026/2027 appearances. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is Deportivo's biggest threat by a mile with five goals in seven games.
Our main selection of Espanyol to win could well be a close one as Dépor are a well-drilled side, so an alternative is to play the under 2.5 goals bet at 1.83, which seems to fit a cagey affair at RCDE.
