One point separates sixth from seventh as Deportivo host Sevilla

Deportivo La Coruna have 9 points from five games and host 10-point Sevilla today, Wednesday, September 16, at 17:00 UTC. The meeting at Estadio de Riazor brings the sixth- and seventh-placed teams together, with Barcelona already six points clear of Deportivo and five ahead of Sevilla.

What's at stake

Sevilla sit sixth, one point above Deportivo in the La Liga table. A win would move either side to at least 12 points and strengthen its position in the early race behind Barcelona’s 15; a defeat would leave the loser on its current total while the winner creates separation in the top seven.

The numbers

Deportivo are unbeaten after five league games, with two wins and three draws, while Sevilla have three wins, one draw and one defeat. Deportivo have scored 9 goals and conceded 6 overall; Sevilla have scored 8 and also allowed 6.

The home-and-away records are strikingly similar. Deportivo are 1W 1D 0L at Riazor, with four goals scored and two conceded, while Sevilla are 1W 1D 0L away, also with four scored and two conceded. Neither side has kept a clean sheet in those settings.

One to watch

The tactical focus is the space each defence leaves behind its attack. Both teams have conceded six goals in five matches, and their venue-specific records show two goals allowed each, so the key contest may be whether either attack can improve on that defensive record. Team selection could also shape the plan: Deportivo list N. Carrillo as questionable with an ankle injury, while Sevilla are without R. Vargas because of a knee injury and list A. Sangante as questionable with an ankle injury.

Why it matters

For Deportivo, victory would take an unbeaten start beyond five matches and put pressure on Sevilla’s sixth-place position. For Sevilla, three points would protect their one-point advantage over Deportivo and keep the gap to Barcelona at no more than five points after today’s match.