Dépor's Promotion Hopes Fading as They Falter Against Top Rivals
Deportivo La Coruña's direct promotion ambitions are slipping away after collecting just 12 points from 11 matches against fellow top-nine sides in Spain's Segunda División.
Deportivo La Coruña’s hopes of securing automatic promotion are taking a proper battering, with their form against fellow promotion contenders proving to be their Achilles heel this season.
Struggling Against the Big Boys
The numbers don’t lie, and they make for grim reading if you’re a Dépor supporter. After 26 matchdays in the Segunda División, Antonio Hidalgo’s men have managed to collect a measly 12 points from 11 matches against teams in the top nine.
Even more concerning is their record against the current automatic promotion spots. When facing league leaders Castellón and second-placed Racing Santander, Deportivo have come away empty-handed in all four encounters – that’s zero points from a possible 12. Proper pants, that.
Tight at the Top
The Segunda División is proving to be a right old scrap this season, with just eight points separating table-toppers Castellón from ninth-placed Sporting. Dépor currently sit fourth with 43 points, but their inability to take points off their direct rivals could prove costly come May.
Looking at a hypothetical mini-league comprising just the top six teams:
- Dépor have collected a paltry five points from a possible 24
- Four of those points came against Almería (a draw at Riazor and a win at Almería Stadium)
- The other point was earned away at Las Palmas
- They’ve failed to register a single point against Castellón, Racing, or Málaga
Tough Test Ahead
Things don’t get any easier for the Galicians, with in-form Eibar set to visit Riazor this Saturday. The Basque outfit are enjoying their best spell of the season, going unbeaten in their last five matches and collecting an impressive 17 points from their last 24 available.
If Dépor are serious about getting back to the big time, they’ll need to start turning up in these six-pointer matches. Otherwise, they might find themselves needing to go through the promotion play-offs – and based on current form against the division’s best teams, that’s not exactly filling supporters with confidence.