Deportivo de A Coruña are back in La Liga after eight years away, hosting Elche at the Estadio ABANCA Riazor on 17 August 2026 in the opening match of the 2026/27 campaign. Promoted as Segunda runners-up with 77 points from 42 matches, Deportivo arrive under Antonio Hidalgo with a squad assembled to compete in the top flight, while Elche come from the opposite direction having scraped through last season in 15th under new coach Martín Anselmi and for both sides a fast start matters. The Riazor will be loud for this first top flight fixture in nearly a decade.
Hidalgo and Anselmi have never faced each other in a competitive fixture, so there is no head to head record to lean on, only two contrasting football philosophies colliding for the first time. Hidalgo built Deportivo's promotion on a pragmatic 4-2-3-1, with defensive organisation at its core and fast transitions as the outlet. Anselmi, appointed in June 2026 after Eder Sarabia resigned, brings an Argentine influenced style that prioritises positional rotations and building from the back and this match is the first real test of how that approach holds up against Hidalgo's structured midfield control.
Deportivo's pre season was defensively solid but going forward they were blunt, managing just one goal across a 1-0 loss to Real Madrid, a narrow defeat to Genoa and a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina. The compact shape kept opponents at arm's length but one goal in three matches is a real concern heading into a competitive opener. Elche went unbeaten and beat Toulouse 3-0, which was the clearest signal of what Fer Niño offers as a finisher and what Buonanotte can do coming off the bench and Deportivo need to find a clinical edge quickly.
Ángelino arrives on loan from Roma to operate at left back, getting into the box and delivering into the penalty area, while Leo Román takes the goalkeeping spot and Aubameyang leads the line. Teenage midfielder Noé Carrillo remains doubtful with an ankle injury but the rest of the Deportivo squad appears fit. Elche are without Yago Santiago and Grady Diangana through injury, though the loan arrivals of Gonzalo Villar, Víctor Chust and Buonanotte cover the two positions Anselmi needed most after the squad was stretched thin at centre back and in midfield.
Hidalgo will likely set up in a 4-2-3-1 with Amatucci and Soriano sitting deep to break play and find Aubameyang in behind the defensive line. Ángelino's overlapping runs will force Sangaré to track back, opening the half space for whoever occupies the left channel and how that right side of Elche copes with Ángelino and Valera combined is the battle most likely to determine which side controls that flank. Anselmi will probably counter with a flexible 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 that frees Villar and Aguado to step into midfield pockets while Buonanotte drifts inside from the left. Aubameyang getting the better of Affengruber, Bigas and Chust is what turns Deportivo's home pressure into goals, while Elche's Villar and Aguado partnership will be looking to dominate the second ball battle and, when they win it, push the line up quickly into Fer Niño.
Elche hold a slight historical edge with 19 wins to Deportivo's 17 across 45 meetings and the recent record is more one sided still: Elche won both legs 4-0 in the 2024/25 Segunda campaign, including at the Riazor and the last top flight meeting in April 2015 also finished 4-0 to Elche. Deportivo have the longer home tradition but current form and squad changes mean those patterns are far from guaranteed to repeat.
Ángelino's delivery from the left and Aubameyang arriving late at the near post are Deportivo's most consistent sources of danger at set pieces. Elche's organised defensive shape under Affengruber has already looked solid in pre season and with both sides expected to sit deep through long stretches, making open play goals harder to come by, dead balls may be the primary route to goal for either side.
Deportivo have home advantage and Aubameyang up front but Elche should win this. One goal in three pre season matches is a real concern for Hidalgo and Anselmi's side arrive with momentum, a sharper attack and having put four past Deportivo in each of their last three meetings. Elche's midfield depth and Buonanotte's impact off the bench should allow them to exploit the spaces Ángelino leaves behind him going forward and if Deportivo's attack stays as blunt as it was in pre season, the questions about their forward line will only grow louder heading into week two. Prediction: 1-2.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
