Three weeks away from competition is long enough to kill rhythm, and Deportivo return to it with the kind of complication no coach wants: three injuries, a trip to Anoeta, and a Real Sociedad side waiting in jornada 8 of LaLiga Ea Sports. This is not a soft re-entry. It is the sort of away day that tells you very quickly whether a good start to the season means something or simply flatters you for a while.
Antonio Hidalgo is expected to make changes across the board, and the pressure is obvious. The break has not given Deportivo a chance to settle; it has forced them into adjustment. From midfield forward especially, the team looks set to be reshaped, which is never ideal when you are trying to protect momentum and stay near the top of the table.
The readers have spoken, and they are not pretending this is easy
Riazor.org readers have already drawn a fairly hard line on what they expect in San Sebastián. The most repeated forecast among the 182 readers who took part was a 1-2 result, with 65.4% landing on that scoreline. In other words, the mood is cautious rather than defiant: Deportivo are not being tipped to stroll into Anoeta and impose themselves.
That makes sense. A visit to Real Sociedad in Sunday's 16:15 hours slot is demanding under normal circumstances. Add the pause in competitive action and the injuries, and the challenge becomes much more awkward. The game asks for clarity, discipline and some sharp decisions from Hidalgo, because there is little margin for passengers in a match like this.
Who could be left out?
The likely changes mean several familiar names may not all fit into the starting XI. Based on the published context, the players most likely to be left out of the predicted lineup discussion are Quagliata, Ximo Navarro, Giménez, Lucas Noubi, Mario Soriano, Amatucci, Diego Villares, Bil, Yeremay, Luismi, Miguel Loureiro, Riki and Bright Ede. The point is not that all of them are definitely out; the point is that the break, the injuries and the expected reshuffle make the selection picture far less settled than it was three weeks ago.
There is a bigger issue here than just who starts. Deportivo have earned the right to believe in their position, but that does not erase the nature of the test. Anoeta is a place where control matters, where loose spells get punished, and where an injury-hit side can quickly look stretched. If Deportivo come through it well, the strong start looks real. If they do not, the table will start to feel less comforting very quickly.
For now, the readers' 1-2 forecast says it all: there is respect for what Deportivo have done, but very little confidence that this will be a comfortable return. This looks like a night for survival, adaptation and damage limitation first, and ambition second.
