Will there be many goals? Prediction for the Deportivo vs Valencia match on 30.08.2026
On Sunday, August 30, at the ABANCA-RIAZOR stadium, Deportivo will host Valencia in the third round of La Liga. Kick-off is scheduled for 19:30 local time. Neither side has managed a win in the new campaign so far: the hosts have drawn both of their matches, while Valencia have played two extremely cautious games and are yet to open their scoring account this season.
Deportivo: two identical results and Aubameyang as the main threat
Deportivo’s return to the top flight has been relatively calm. In the opening round, Antonio Hidalgo’s side drew 1-1 at home against Elche and repeated the scoreline away to Malaga. After two rounds, the Galicians have two points and a goal difference of 2:2.
Interestingly, both of Deportivo’s goals have been scored by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Against Elche, he opened the scoring in the 21st minute after a long pass from Amatucci; in Malaga, he again found the net in the 21st minute, finishing off a through ball from Luismi. The experienced striker remains the team’s main attacking outlet and, in fact, the only player to have scored for Deportivo so far in this campaign.
At the same time, Deportivo do not look like a team set up for open, high-scoring matches. In Malaga, after the game reached 1-1, the contest became very closed, with few clear chances. Hidalgo values his side’s ability to remain competitive for the full 90 minutes, and against a more prestigious opponent, such caution may well form the basis of his tactical plan.
Yeremay Hernandez is gradually becoming an additional option. After roughly a three-month absence, he returned as a substitute against Malaga, but Hidalgo stressed that the explosive winger still needs time to regain full fitness. So counting on him being at his peak already this Sunday would be premature.
Valencia: defense outshining the attack
Carlos Corberan’s side have started even more conservatively. First, Valencia played out a 0-0 draw at home to Celta, then on August 25, they lost 0-1 at Mestalla to Betis. In the opening 180 minutes of the campaign, Valencia have not scored a single goal.
Corberan has been using a five-man defense in the opening matches. Against Betis, Dimitrievski, Maffeo, Tarrega, Diakhaby, Pepelu, and Jesus Vazquez all started at the back, with Javi Guerra, Guido Rodriguez, Sato, Danjuma, and Hugo Duro up front. This setup makes Valencia tough to break down without the ball, but they have struggled to transition into attack and create enough dangerous moments.
Even after the defeat to Betis, the main questions remain about the attack. Corberan has publicly spoken about the need to strengthen this area of the squad, and the way the first matches have played out suggests the coach is prioritizing defensive balance over extra attacking risk.
Squad situation
The big news for Deportivo is Yeremay’s return, though his minutes will be managed for now. In the last match, Hidalgo stuck largely with his opening lineup, making just two changes: Loureiro replaced Bright Ede in central defense, while Luismi came in for Bilal.
Valencia’s situation is more complicated. Centre-back Justin de Haas suffered a ligament injury to his right ankle against Celta and missed the Betis game; reports suggest he’ll be out for several weeks. Additionally, Copete, Dimitri Foulquier, and Alberto Mari were also unavailable for the Betis match. On the plus side, Luis Rioja has recovered from a muscle injury and is back in the squad.
Meanwhile, Valencia are strengthening their back line with Arnau Martinez. On August 26, the defender arrived in Valencia for a medical and to finalize his transfer, and if all formalities are completed in time, he could be named in the squad for the trip to La Coruña.
Probable lineups
- Deportivo: Leo Roman — Ximo Navarro, Lucas Nubi, Loureiro, Qualiata — Amatucci, Mario Soriano, Altimira, Luismi, Aske Jansen — Aubameyang.
- Valencia: Dimitrievski — Maffeo, Tarrega, Diakhaby, Pepelu, Jesus Vazquez — Sato, Guido Rodriguez, Javi Guerra, Danjuma — Hugo Duro.
The final squads and starting elevens have not yet been announced, so these lineups are based on the most recent official starting combinations as of August 26 and current squad news.
Facts and trends
- Both of Deportivo’s La Liga matches this season have ended 1-1.
- Aubameyang has scored all of Deportivo’s league goals so far.
- Valencia have failed to score in either of their opening two matches of the season.
- Across all four league matches played by these teams so far this season, no more than two goals have been scored in any game.
- The last head-to-head clash between these sides was back in May 2018, so previous records should be treated with caution.
Valencia still searching for attacking spark: prediction for Deportivo vs Valencia
A dramatic shift in game scenario is unlikely here. Deportivo, since returning to the top flight, have played pragmatically: they’ve twice scored the opening goal but have been limited to just one goal on each occasion. Much of their attacking edge still relies on Aubameyang, while Yeremay is only just getting back up to speed.
Valencia, for their part, have yet to find the net in two matches. Still, Corberan’s side are capable of maintaining a compact defensive shape and do not allow opponents many clear-cut chances. Even the defeat to Betis was by the narrowest of margins.
So the most likely scenario is a cautious contest where the first goal will be at a premium. Deportivo could cause the visitors problems on their own turf, but scoring against Valencia—and at the same time stopping the visitors from replying—will not be easy. Scorelines like 0-0, 1-0, or 0-1 look entirely realistic here.
Prediction: both teams to score — no.
