Atletico Madrid v Deportivo La Coruna: Preview, predicted line-ups & team news

Atletico Madrid arrive at the Metropolitano with a 7-1-1 record from nine league games, and the standings show five consecutive wins. They beat Real Madrid 2-1 on 20 September and followed that with 1-0 and 2-1 away wins at Espanyol and Alaves. Only a 3-0 defeat at Athletic Club on 5 September and a 2-2 draw with Villarreal on 23 August have cost them points.

Deportivo La Coruna come in with a different profile. They have drawn five of their nine league matches, including a 1-1 home draw with Levante last Friday, and the form line reads DDWLD over the latest five. The visitors have scored in eight of nine games on the season data, which makes their problems at the other end easier to see.

Atletico's league record gives them 22 points and second place, one clear of Real Madrid on 21 and five behind Barcelona on 27. Their 19 goals scored and 8 conceded give a goal difference of +11, and the recent-form data shows 4 clean sheets from 9. Simeone's side have also been strongest late on: 8 of their 19 goals, or 42.11%, have arrived between the 76th and 90th minutes.

However, the home side did not have a quiet midweek. They drew 1-1 at Stuttgart in the Champions League league phase, according to Sports Mole's preview, which may bear on rotation. Three midfielders and defenders are also unavailable, as the team news below sets out.

Deportivo sit ninth on 11 points from nine games, level with Celta Vigo and Osasuna, one point behind Alaves in seventh and four clear of Elche in the bottom three. Their goal difference is +1, built on 13 goals scored and 12 conceded. For a side in mid-table, this is a game with little to lose and a point that would look like a good result.

The visitors have been vulnerable early and late. They have conceded 12 goals in nine games, with 3 in each of the 16-30, 31-45 and 46-60 minute bands, and they have yet to keep a clean sheet. Their away record is one win, two draws and one loss from four, with 7 scored and 7 conceded.

Atletico's last nine league games read seven wins, one draw and one defeat, with an average of 2.11 goals scored and 0.89 conceded per match according to the recent-form data. Deportivo's nine read two wins, five draws and two defeats, with 1.44 scored and 1.33 conceded. The trend that matters is the gap in control: Atletico average 59.8% possession and 17.78 shots per game, against 48.1% and 11.67 for the visitors. Deportivo's draws suggest resilience, but five of their nine games have ended level against sides that, in the table, sit below Atletico's level of consistency, and their one win away from home came 3-2 at Villarreal.

Atletico are second on 22 points from nine games, five behind unbeaten Barcelona, who have won all nine of their league matches, and one ahead of Real Madrid. The Champions League places are not at risk yet, with fourth-placed Real Betis on 19. A win would take Atletico to 25 points and keep pressure on both Madrid rivals, while a slip would let Real Madrid, on 21 with a game to spare in hand over nobody, move level or ahead in the next round.

Deportivo are ninth on 11 points from nine games. They are 1 point off seventh and 4 above Elche in 18th. A win would be a big result for a side with two league wins so far, and would lift them towards the top half. A defeat would leave them inside a tightly bunched group of nine clubs separated by only a handful of points.

The supplied sample covers 10 meetings. Atletico have won 7, 3 have been drawn and Deportivo have not won any, with an average of 1.6 goals per meeting. Both teams scored in 30% of those games and only 20% went over 2.5 goals.

The pattern is low-scoring and one-sided, and the margin has rarely been more than a goal in the five most recent games shown. This season's data points the same way for the visitors, who have scored in 8 of 9 but are on a winless away run against stronger sides. It suggests the goals lines may be tighter than Atletico's attacking numbers imply, and the 30% BTTS rate gives a lean towards the visitors being kept out. Atletico's 3-0 and 4-0 wins this season are the exception, not the head-to-head norm.

The biggest gap is at the back. Atletico have kept 4 clean sheets in 9 league games and concede an average xG of 0.99, while Deportivo have no clean sheets and an xG against of 1.14. At the other end Atletico average 1.73 expected goals and 6.44 shots on target per game, compared with 1.11 and 4.33 for the visitors.

Control is the second gap. Atletico average 59.8% possession and win 6.33 corners per game while allowing 2.78, whereas Deportivo concede 5.44 corners per game. That points to sustained home pressure and set-piece chances. However, Atletico have scored under 2.5 goals in 6 of 9 league games this season, so the visitors' sheer volume of draws and low scoring may keep the total contained.

Kick-off at the Metropolitano is at 20:00 BST on Saturday 24 October 2026. The match may be shown on Premier Sports where selected, but a specific channel has not been confirmed. This page will be updated closer to kick-off once a UK broadcaster is confirmed.

The strongest angle is Atletico's defensive record against a Deportivo side that have not kept a clean sheet, and the head-to-head history leans the same way. The price on the home win is short at 1/4, so the more interesting value sits in the goals markets, where the 20% over 2.5 rate in the H2H and Atletico's 6 unders in 9 games set a lower line than the match-winner price implies. The bet builder leans on a home win with a clean sheet and Álvarez to score.