Holders Deportivo confident of King's Cup comeback
Holders Deportivo Coruna are confident they can overturn a 3-2 first-leg deficit when they face Real Mallorca in the return match of their King's Cup semi-final away at Son Moix on Wednesday.
Holders Deportivo Coruna are confident they can overturn a 3-2 first-leg deficit when they face Real Mallorca in the return match of their King's Cup semi-final away at Son Moix on Wednesday.
"We are going to try to spring a surprise," Deportivo defender Hector told reporters on Monday. "We are convinced that we can turn the game around and reach the final once again."
In fact the Galicians can count themselves lucky to be in with a chance of making the final at all given that they trailed 3-0 to the islanders with just seven minutes left on the clock in last month's first leg.
But they were thrown a lifeline when Diego Tristan manufactured a late penalty, which he duly converted himself, and strike partner Roy Makaay narrowed Mallorca's lead to just one goal when he scored with almost the last kick of the game.
Given that out-of-form Mallorca have gone seven games without a win in the league, Deportivo may even go into the match as slight favourites.
Javier Irureta's side are unbeaten in five league games and following a 2-1 win at Racing Santander on Sunday they are now just three points adrift of new leaders Real Madrid.
Depor have an embarrassment of riches upfront with super-sub striker Albert Luque competing with the league's top scorer Makaay and the mercurial Tristan for places in attack.
But former Mallorca player Luque is not underestimating his old team.
"Mallorca have a great chance and they know that they have to make the most of it. They lost at the weekend and aren't playing their best football at the moment, but Wednesday will be a different game altogether."
The islanders will be hoping that their own talented strikeforce made up of fiery Cameroon international Samuel Eto'o, talented Argentine winger Ariel Ibagaza and former Depor target man Walter Pandiani can rediscover the form that crushed Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.
In Wednesday's other semi-final Spain's longest established club, Recreativo Huelva, have the edge over fellow first division strugglers Osasuna, who are coached by former Mexico boss Javier Aguirre.
The Andalucians, who were promoted to the top flight at the start of the season but have been propping up the table ever since, grafted their way to a 2-0 victory in the first leg and have claimed convicing victories in their last two league games.
They hit three past Atletico Madrid two weeks ago and stunned Athletic Bilbao with a 3-2 victory at San Mames at the weekend and will be determined not to miss the chance of making their first cup final in their 114-year history.
But they will need to be wary of the Navarrans who tend to undergo a complete transformation when they play in front of their home crowd at El Sadar, as Real Madrid found to their cost just over two weeks ago.