Espanyol welcome Deportivo La Coruña to the RCDE Stadium on 7 November 2026 for a La Liga matchday 12 fixture. Espanyol have 11 points from 11 games and sit 14th, never having genuinely threatened the top half, whereas Deportivo occupy eighth with 14 points. The game comes at an interesting moment for the hosts, who appointed Eder Sarabia on 28 October after moving on Manolo González and since Sarabia and Antonio Hidalgo have never previously met as managers, any tactical comparison has to be built on philosophy rather than personal history.
Espanyol come in off a 1-0 win at Villarreal in Sarabia's first game, which snapped a W-L-L-D-L run across the previous five matches and showed improved organisation and a willingness to sit deep and hit on the counter. Deportivo arrive after a 2-1 home win over Osasuna on 2 November, though their recent W-L-D-L-D pattern tells its own story.
Espanyol have no major injury concerns and go into this with a near full strength group, which matters when you have just changed manager. Roberto Fernández leads the attack and Edu Expósito anchors midfield with his passing range and positional sense, while Bryan Zaragoza supplies direct dribbling from the left and tends to cut inside onto his right. Deportivo, meanwhile, are without Bright Ede (hamstring), Marc Casadó (muscle problem) and Zakaria Eddahchouri (broken wrist), which thins the squad in both defensive and attacking areas and leaves Antonio Hidalgo leaning more heavily on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has five goals in eight appearances since returning from injury. Yeremay Hernández adds creativity from midfield or out wide, while Bil Nsongo offers another option up front.
Both sides are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1, though the similarities in shape only throw the personnel differences into sharper relief. Sarabia has moved quickly to install a compact, defensively organised structure that limits space between the lines and lets the team transition fast once possession is won. Fernández operates either as the target dropping short to link play or as the runner stretching the defensive line, while Zaragoza's ability to beat full backs one on one becomes important against a Deportivo side that likes to push its wing backs forward. The three absences force Deportivo into a more rigid shape, with their two remaining central midfielders tasked with shielding the back four while still contributing to transitions. Aubameyang's movement across the channels will test Espanyol's centre backs, though his effectiveness depends largely on how much space the compact Espanyol shape concedes in behind.
The midfield duel between Expósito and Deportivo's double pivot will likely set the tempo, with Expósito's progressive passing the key to unlocking Zaragoza or Fernández in transition. Set pieces offer another route for Espanyol, with Sarabia apparently making delivery and organisation at dead balls a priority in training.
Deportivo's reduced squad depth may become a factor in the final quarter and given that Espanyol need points to climb away from the bottom half while Deportivo want to protect their mid table position, neither side can afford to come away empty handed.
Espanyol 2-1 Deportivo La Coruña. With Sarabia's immediate effect giving the hosts a tactical lift and a near full strength squad against a depleted visiting side, Expósito should control large spells through the middle while Zaragoza and Fernández look to exploit transitions. Even if Aubameyang latches onto a transition to pull one back, the balance of this matchup points to Espanyol.
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?.
