- 1 Deportivo La Coruna vs Elche: Riazor is finally back in La Liga
- 2 Deportivo La Coruna: a promoted side that has spent big and now has to deliver
- 3 Elche: unbeaten all summer, but a real problem on the road
- 4 La Liga prediction Deportivo La Coruna vs Elche
- 5 Before anything else, a word on our free picks
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Deportivo La Coruna vs Elche: Riazor is finally back in La Liga 
Eight years. That is how long Deportivo La Coruna have had to wait to see La Liga again, on Monday 17 August at 20h at the Abanca-Riazor stadium.
The Galician club even spent time in the third tier in between. Their return to the top flight comes after a second-place finish in Segunda with 77 points, 22 wins, 11 draws and 9 defeats in 42 rounds.
Elche head into this one from the opposite angle. The Alicante club finished 15th last season, just one point above the relegation zone.
The two clubs know each other well: 45 meetings, 17 Depor wins, 19 defeats and 9 draws. A tight record, though it hides some one-sided recent meetings.
Elche actually won 4-0 the last time these sides met, in June 2025 in the second division. It was also 4-0 in their last top-flight clash, back in April 2015.
The bookmakers, though, are not exactly rushing to pick a side. Depor are 2.25, the draw 3.10 and Elche 3.20, a tiny gap for a newly promoted side at home against an established one.
The stats models give the Galicians a 40.5% chance of victory, 32% to Elche and 27.5% to the draw. Nothing really stands out.
One number does jump out, though: a 57% chance that this game finishes with under three goals. That is where the betting angle lies.
Deportivo La Coruna: a promoted side that has spent big and now has to deliver 
Depor finished second in Segunda, three points behind Almeria and five off champions Racing Santander. That points tally says steady, not dominant.
The club were Spanish champions in 1999-2000, but the public target now is survival. Antonio Hidalgo has made that clear all summer.
Seven signings have come in, with goalkeeper Leo Roman from Mallorca the most expensive. The club has clearly opened the chequebook to avoid an immediate return to Segunda.
The two biggest names are elsewhere. Angelino has arrived on loan from Roma to handle the left flank, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is expected to lead the line.
Bright Ede and Lorenzo Amatucci complete a revamped XI. Five new faces in the starting team is plenty of change for a first game back at the top level.
Pre-season was solid, if hardly dazzling: two wins and three draws, including a 2-2 at St Pauli and a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina. The Galicians only lost to Real Madrid, 0-1 at home.
Five goals scored and three conceded across those five recent games: Depor built their summer on shape and discipline, not fireworks.
The only medical doubt is young midfielder Noe Carrillo, who picked up an ankle issue earlier this week and must pass a fitness test before kick-off.
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Elche: unbeaten all summer, but a real problem on the road 
Elche have not lost a single pre-season game this summer. Two wins and three draws, with a 3-0 over Toulouse rounding off the run.
That tidy record hides a less flattering league story. The club stayed in La Liga by a single point last season, finishing 15th.
The weak spot is exactly where they travel. Elche won just one away game over the whole of last season.
Martin Anselmi is now in charge and has eight new signings to work with, including Facundo Buonanotte, on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion. The Argentine should start on the bench on Monday, though.
Fer Nino, signed from Burgos this summer, is expected to feature in the final third. The 25-year-old striker has been handed an immediate role in the set-up.
Gonzalo Villar and Victor Chust should also make their debuts in new colours. David Affengruber, chased by several clubs this summer, remains the leader of the back line.
Two absences are confirmed for the trip to Galicia: Yago Santiago and Grady Diangana, both injured. Two attacking options gone for a game that was always going to be tough.
Probable Deportivo La Coruna line-up: Roman ; Navarro, Ede, Noubi, Angelino ; Amatucci, Soriano, Villares ; Cruz ; Nsongo, Aubameyang
Probable Elche line-up: Dituro ; Chust, Bigas, Affengruber ; Sangare, Villar, Aguado, Valera ; Houary, Nino, Cepeda
La Liga prediction Deportivo La Coruna vs Elche
Our prediction: Under 2.5 goals in the match
The stats models give a 57% chance of a game capped at two goals. By some distance, that is the strongest angle on this fixture.
Depor have built their summer on restraint, with five goals scored and three conceded in their last five games. Elche, meanwhile, finished three of their five friendlies with two goals or fewer and won only once away from home last season.
Add in five new faces in the Galician starting XI, a first top-flight game after eight years away and an opponent who will be first and foremost looking not to lose. Take under 2.5 goals.
in your pocket.
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