Deportivo La Coruna vs Barcelona Betting Tips & Predictions

Barca have lost 4 of their last 5 matches having gone 39 without defeat prior to that. Given the same players have been responsible for this poor run as were involved in the previous 39 it’s hard to comprehend why things have gone so wrong for the defending Spanish and European champions. Tiredness is perhaps one factor given Luis Enrique very rarely rotates the core of his side. Their over-reliance on the front three for goals has also become clear with none of their front three quite at their best right now.

Messi, Suarez and Neymar have chipped in with 70 of Barca’s 88 goals this term in La Liga so when the trio have bad days, which had been rare until this current run, there are few other players coming in to help out. Barca’s defensive record is also poor given they are top of the league and dominate possession in almost every game so they usually need to score at least 2 goals to win and that’s tough when things aren’t quite ticking in an attacking sense no matter how good your players are.

Barca have let a 9 point lead at the top of La Liga slip and with only 3 days separating their 2-1 loss to Valencia on Sunday and this game, they’ve have had little chance to work out what’s gone wrong. If they fail to win this they may slip to 3rd and could all of a sudden be outsiders in a title race they looked to have wrapped up little over a fortnight ago.

This isn’t an easy game either despite the fact Depor have won just 1 of their last 19 matches. Deportivo may be a limited side with few players of genuine top quality but they are a well-organised side that could make life difficult for an out-of-sorts Barcelona. They picked up a 1-1 draw at Sevilla at the weekend and few sides get results there. It’s also well worth noting that no side outside the top four has lost fewer games this season than Deportivo, who are by some distance the league’s draw specialists.

This is an awkward match to have when you’re on a bad run and the way Barca have been playing you can’t see them running away with it so consider backing Deportivo La Coruna +2 Goal Handicap at 6/5.