[2026-27 Spanish La Liga] Deportivo La Coruña vs Levante preview and analysis Kick-off: 16 October, 19:00 UTC
Deportivo La Coruña and Levante meet at the Estadio Abanca-Riazor at 19:00 UTC on 16 October for matchday 9 of the Spanish La Liga. Neither side has won any of its last four games. The hosts need points after their promotion, while 17th-placed Levante travel to Galicia just three days after a 3-3 draw with Sevilla.
1. Match overview and team form
Deportivo La Coruña sit eighth with 10 points from eight games, having won two, drawn four and lost two. Levante have a game in hand after their match against Athletic Club was postponed. They are 17th with six points from seven games, with one win, three draws and three defeats. Antonio Hidalgo felt his side had earned more points for their performances, while Luis Castro said Levante were improving and played down their recent winless run. Both managers need a result, but Levante must travel from Valencia to Galicia after their match against Sevilla ran through Monday night. Deportivo La Coruña played away to Real Sociedad on Sunday, so they have an extra day to recover.
This season in La Liga Games, goals scored and conceded: Deportivo La Coruña, 8 games, 12 scored, 11 conceded / Levante, 7 games, 11 scored, 15 conceded Home and away records: Deportivo La Coruña at home, 1 win, 2 draws, 1 defeat / Levante away, 2 draws, 2 defeats Home and away goals: Deportivo La Coruña have scored 5 at home / Levante have scored 1 away
Ten of Levante's 11 goals have come in three home games. In four away matches, their only goal was Iván Romero's overhead kick against Villarreal. They drew 0-0 at Osasuna and Málaga, but conceded six goals combined away to Espanyol and Villarreal. At home, they have scored by pressing opponents in their own half and making the most of set pieces and second-half substitutions. Away from home, they have spent longer defending in their own half and have not been able to reproduce that attack. Deportivo La Coruña have the same record at home and away, with one win, two draws and one defeat in each. For this match, Levante's failure to score away is more relevant than Deportivo's record at Riazor.
Deportivo La Coruña's four-game winless run includes matches against Real Betis, Sevilla and Real Sociedad, all of whom were near the top of the table at the time. Against Betis and Real Sociedad, they changed their pressing positions and personnel after the break to get back into the game, but conceded after errors in possession in their own half and while defending corners. There is no single defensive issue behind their having conceded in all eight league games this season. Against Betis, their passing out from the back and the goalkeeper's handling both faltered in quick succession. Against Real Sociedad, they lost track of an opponent after a short corner. Levante went behind to a misplaced back pass in the 13th minute against Sevilla, then fought back to 3-3 with wide attacks and set pieces after half-time. That match, though, was at home after a long rest.
The hosts' absences are concentrated in attack and midfield. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has scored five and assisted two of Deportivo La Coruña's 12 goals this season, is out with a knee injury. Zakaria Eddahchouri is also unavailable. He came off the bench to score an equaliser shortly after coming on in the comeback win against Villarreal. Defensive midfielder Lorenzo Amatucci is suspended, and Marc Casadó, an alternative in the same role, is injured. Striker Nsongo can compete with defenders and link up with teammates, but has not scored in 499 minutes this season. Hidalgo could give Yeremay Hernández a role moving between the wing and the middle, while Riki Rodríguez is an option to start in midfield. Who provides the cover in front of the defence in Amatucci's absence will depend on the starting lineup.
Levante will be without Karl Etta Eyong, Hugo Sotelo and Primo, but all 11 players who started against Sevilla are available. How much Castro changes the lineup will depend on managing their fitness. Nine of the 11 players in the expected lineup started against Sevilla on Monday, in a game that lasted until the 99th minute. Hidalgo has generally used a 4-4-2, changing the pressing positions and wide players during matches. Castro has used both a 4-4-2 and a 4-3-3, and has brought on more attackers to score in the second half.
Levante won both meetings with Deportivo La Coruña 2-1 in the 2024-25 Segunda División. Neither side had its current manager at the time, and Aubameyang had yet to join Deportivo La Coruña. The current absences and recovery time offer a better guide to this match than those past results.
2. Matchup analysis
The key battle will be how both teams build from the back under pressure. Deportivo La Coruña made consecutive errors in their passing and the goalkeeper's handling when conceding against Real Betis. Their build-up also faltered after Sevilla adjusted its pressing positions. With both Amatucci and Casadó missing, the centre-backs may have fewer midfield options for short passes. If Levante press high early on, Deportivo La Coruña could respond with more long balls towards Nsongo or by playing down the wings.
The same kind of battle could unfold at the other end. Levante defended with a compact shape away to Villarreal, but came under pressure from the first pass after the break. Passes from Aïssa Mandi and Jon Ander Olasagasti were intercepted in succession, leading to a goal. Against Sevilla, Iñaki Ezkieta's short back pass was also intercepted for the opening goal. Deportivo La Coruña have pressed high early against Valencia and in the second half against Real Betis. If they use that approach again and win the ball in Levante's half, they could create chances close to goal even without Aubameyang. Hidalgo has not said whether he will call for a high press from the start.
The hosts are better placed to sustain repeated pressing. Deportivo La Coruña had an extra day of rest, and Ximo Navarro, Luismi Cruz and Diego Villares each played 57 minutes in their last match, all three of them candidates to start here. Levante travel after chasing an equaliser until the end of Monday's match against Sevilla. Castro could ease the load by changing several starters, but that would also change how he uses the players who have contributed to the team's goals this season. Keeping Romero on the bench would give Levante another option for the second half, but someone else would have to take on his pressing duties early in the game.
If Levante sit deep as they have away from home, Deportivo La Coruña face a different challenge. The hosts increased their shots and corners after the break against Betis and found an equaliser, but struggled to turn possession into shots against Sevilla. Without Aubameyang's runs in behind and finishing in the box, they will need Nsongo to link play, with Yeremay receiving the ball inside or Soriano and Riki Rodríguez joining the attack from midfield. If Yeremay moves inside from the left, Levante's midfield will have to track him. Levante's ability to defend both the middle and the wings will matter when Deportivo La Coruña attack down the flanks.
Deportivo La Coruña can leave space for Levante when their full-backs push forward. Levante's only away goal this season came when Romero finished a cross from Jeremy Toljan. Romero's comeback goal against Sevilla also began with a pass down the wing from Manu Sánchez. If Levante win the ball after Deportivo left-back Quagliata has joined the attack, Toljan and the right winger could run into the space on that side. How quickly the hosts recover their defensive shape after attacking will matter in limiting Levante's few away chances.
Set pieces offer both teams a route to goal. Levante scored twice against Real Betis from Olasagasti corners, and their equaliser against Sevilla came from a scramble after a set piece. Deportivo La Coruña conceded against Real Sociedad after a short corner and a cross that followed. The hosts also equalised against Betis with a Villares header and have won at least 10 corners in each of their last two games. The longer Levante spend defending, the more corners Deportivo La Coruña may win, but even one corner for Levante in the hosts' half could change the result.
The managers will not be able to make their usual second-half adjustments under normal conditions. Hidalgo has wide options such as Adama Traoré and David Mella, but he cannot bring on Eddahchouri, who helped turn around the Villarreal match, or use Amatucci to add protection in midfield. Castro increased his side's scoring after substitutions against Barcelona and Sevilla, but this time he must balance adding attackers with replacing tired players. So even if Deportivo La Coruña increase their attacks after the break, we cannot assume they will finish their chances more efficiently. Nor can we expect Levante to reproduce their second-half scoring at home on the road.
3. Verdict and conclusion
We expect Deportivo La Coruña to have more of the ball and create more chances by pressing Levante's build-up. Levante's one goal in four away games this season shows that their home pressing and second-half attacks have not carried over to away matches. They also have a short turnaround and a long trip this time. Deportivo La Coruña have shown they can press Levante's short passing, and they have wide players to bring on later. Aubameyang and Eddahchouri's absences, though, make it hard to see the hosts turning a large number of chances into a big win.
The market also gives Deportivo La Coruña a slight edge, factoring in home advantage, the table and Levante's away record. The key question is how much of Levante's second-half comeback against Sevilla we can expect to see again. That fightback came in a home game after a long rest, and the short turnaround this time could affect Levante's pressing and substitutions late on. Aubameyang's absence, meanwhile, is more likely to affect the hosts' finishing than their ability to create chances.
Our score prediction is 2-1 to the hosts. Deportivo La Coruña could take the lead with crosses or corners during spells of possession, or by winning the ball in the opposition half, then target Levante again with wide substitutions after the break. Levante could score from an Olasagasti corner or an error in the hosts' build-up, but look unlikely to sustain enough pressure to find an equaliser late on while tired. If Castro makes sweeping changes to Monday's lineup and uses fresher players to maintain the intensity after the break, the main premise behind this prediction becomes less convincing.
