Villarreal welcome Deportivo de A Coruña to Estadio de la Cerámica on 5 September 2026 for what is, at this early stage, a pressure match for the hosts. Sitting 15th with two points from three matches, they need a home win to stop the bleeding under Iñigo Pérez, while Deportivo arrive eighth with five points and an unbeaten record that has made them the most credible of this season's promoted sides so far.
Iñigo Pérez and Antonio Hidalgo have never faced each other competitively, giving neither side a tactical edge built on familiarity. Pérez took charge on 1 June 2026 after replacing Marcelino García Toral, prioritising midfield dominance and rotations between the front three to pull defenders out of shape. Hidalgo has been at Deportivo since June 2025, having renewed his contract in August 2026 until 2028 and has built a 4-4-2 that sits in two compact banks of four and looks to release Aubameyang into space behind the defensive line within three or four passes.
Villarreal head into this on D-D-L form, having drawn 2-2 with Atlético Madrid, then 2-2 again against Racing Santander, before losing 0-1 to Alavés. It is a run that says they can create chances but have not learned to protect a lead. Deportivo have been steadier, having collected their five points through a 3-1 win over Valencia and 1-1 draws against Málaga and Elche: five points from three games, two of them draws they controlled.
Villarreal are without Juan Foyth through muscle injury, which removes one of their more reliable centre back options and forces defensive reshuffling. Deportivo have it worse on the absentee front: Noé is out with an ankle problem, Adrià Altimira is suspended after his red card against Valencia and Adama Traoré is also injured, effectively wiping out their wing back depth and wide attacking variety in one go.
Villarreal under Pérez build patiently from the back, using Pape Gueye as the midfield anchor while Georges Mikautadze and Nicolas Pepe threaten in behind the defensive line. Without Foyth, the back four may sit deeper than usual, which opens space for Villarreal's attackers to exploit if they win the ball quickly and Renato Veiga's ability to step out from defence and maintain build up rhythm becomes more important in that scenario. Deportivo, meanwhile, work in a compact 4-4-2 built around defensive discipline, winning the ball back in their own half and releasing Aubameyang into space behind the line within three or four passes, with Mario Soriano linking midfield to attack and Leo Román in goal behind them. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has three goals in three games and is their main threat in transition, though without Altimira and Traoré the routes to feed him are narrower than Hidalgo would like and those absences disrupt the structure that makes the whole transition game function.
The individual match ups worth watching are Mikautadze against Deportivo's central defenders, where his movement off the ball could create openings if Villarreal shift things quickly and Pepe on the flank against a patched up wing back line. In the other direction, Aubameyang running in behind Villarreal's full backs will test a defence already missing Foyth. If Gueye wins the battle against Soriano, Villarreal recycle possession calmly and Deportivo never get the sustained pressure they need to trigger their counter.
Across 14 previous meetings, Villarreal lead with six wins to Deportivo's four, with four draws. Deportivo's compact shape allows them to overload the penalty area at set pieces and Villarreal's reshuffled back line needs to stay alert to that. Villarreal need this for confidence, Deportivo need to prove their early form is real and not lucky.
We are going with a 2-1 Villarreal win. Pepe on a weakened right flank and Mikautadze dropping into space between the lines when Deportivo's midfield is pinned back are the likeliest routes through. Aubameyang will probably score because that is just what he does right now but losing Altimira, Traoré and Noé blunts Deportivo's variety enough for Villarreal to edge it. The most likely story: an early Villarreal goal, sustained pressure, a Deportivo equaliser somewhere in the second half and then a home winner before the end.
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?.
