Dépor vs Real Madrid: A Historic Trofeo Teresa Herrera Clash
Deportivo’s lights come back on in La Liga on Wednesday night, and the Abanca-Riazor could not have picked a grander stage for the occasion. Eight years after slipping out of the top flight, Dépor welcome Real Madrid for the 81st Trofeo Teresa Herrera – and for the visitors, it is a first appearance in this historic summer tournament since 2013.
A friendly on paper. Anything but in tone.
Dépor’s revival meets a stern examination
Antonio Hidalgo brings a side in form and full of optimism. Deportivo are unbeaten in six pre-season outings, a run that has quietly built belief as well as sharpness.
They have taken care of business against Spanish opposition, sweeping aside Compostela 4-0, edging Lugo 1-0 and grinding out a goalless draw with Oviedo. The Italian tour then underlined their growing resilience: a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina, followed by a late, trophy-clinching win over Genoa at the Luigi Ferraris, sealed by Kevin Sánchez in the dying moments to lift the Trofeo Spagnolo.
That sequence tells its own story. Hidalgo’s team have conceded only three goals across those six matches and opened the summer with three consecutive clean sheets. They are compact, organised, and difficult to break down – but not without ambition.
The club have backed their coach. Close to €30m has gone into the squad, with Leo Román arriving to take the gloves and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang providing an experienced edge up front. The investment has given Dépor a spine; the performances have given them an identity.
There is a caveat. The Italian tour exposed frailty when defending crosses, a weakness that Madrid’s wide players and late-arriving midfielders will target relentlessly. Yeremay Hernández, one of the more exciting attacking options, continues to be managed carefully by the physio department and is still being eased back towards full fitness.
Even so, Dépor have scored in five of their six friendlies. Only Oviedo kept them out. At the Riazor, with the lights bright and the champions of Europe in town, they will not sit quietly.
Mourinho’s Madrid still under construction
On the other side of the halfway line stands a Real Madrid still feeling its way into the José Mourinho era.
The first pre-season win finally arrived in Budapest, a 2-1 victory over Ferencváros. It was needed. Before that, Madrid had thrown away a two-goal lead against Fiorentina, Piccoli and Moise Kean punishing defensive lapses that betrayed a back line still learning each other’s movements.
The pattern has been clear. Madrid have led at half-time in each of their last two friendlies, only to wobble once changes start to flow. Against Fiorentina, they raced into a 2-0 lead inside 24 minutes through Endrick and Alexis Ciria, and still went in 2-1 up at the break. In Budapest, Mario Rivas struck in the 41st minute, Carlos Espí added a second, and Madrid again carried a lead into half-time before being pegged back to 2-1.
Mourinho’s options at the back remain thin. Militão is still out, and the defence is patched together from academy products and youngsters. That inexperience has shown: Real have conceded in all three of their public outings so far.
Key names have only just rejoined the group. Kylian Mbappé, Aurelien Tchouaméni, Marc Cucurella and Ibrahim Konaté reported back on Monday after extended post-World Cup breaks and are expected, at best, to start on the bench. Bellingham has yet to slot back in. Rodrygo, Ferland Mendy and Asencio remain sidelined.
Up the pitch, though, the picture is very different. Even without the full cast of Galácticos, Real’s expected XI at the Riazor is loaded with talent: Vinícius Júnior and Endrick up front, Bernardo Silva drifting between the lines, Arda Güler knitting play in midfield alongside Fede Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga. It is more than enough to hurt any side, especially one still adjusting to the speed of elite opposition after years away.
Tight margins, sharp edges
The numbers point towards a contest decided in the details rather than a pre-season goal glut.
Four of Deportivo’s six summer matches have finished with three goals or fewer. The 4-0 over Compostela was an outlier; the rest of the run has been defined by control and defensive discipline. With Yeremay not yet at full throttle and Hidalgo likely to respect Madrid’s attacking threat, the hosts are unlikely to open the game up recklessly.
Madrid, for their part, have yet to keep a clean sheet this summer. The blend of a patched-up defence and a high-talent, high-risk attack has produced open spells in games but not runaway scorelines. Fiorentina came back from 2-0 down to 2-2 before Madrid’s legs and focus faded. Ferencváros also found a way through.
Put that together and the shape of Wednesday night’s game comes into focus. Dépor have enough in Aubameyang and the supporting cast to find a goal, especially against a Madrid back line still learning names. Madrid, with Vinícius and Endrick running at defenders who have not seen this level for some time, should still have too much quality over 90 minutes.
A narrow away win, with both nets bulging at least once, feels the most realistic scenario. A 1-2 scoreline fits the evidence: Madrid’s firepower edging a disciplined, spirited Deportivo side that refuses to go quietly.
Likely XIs and the early push
The expected lineups underline the contrast.
Deportivo are set to start Leo Román behind a back four of Ximo Navarro, Noubi, Bright Ede and Angeliño. Amatucci, Gijselhart and Mario Soriano offer legs and guile in midfield, with Luismi Cruz and Nsongo Bil supporting Aubameyang in attack.
Madrid are likely to answer with Lunin in goal, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Carreras as the full-backs, Huijsen and Joan Martínez in central defence. Valverde, Camavinga and Arda Güler should control the middle, while Bernardo Silva, Vinícius Júnior and Endrick form a front three that would not look out of place in a competitive La Liga fixture.
Recent friendlies suggest Mourinho’s side will come out hard. With several headline names only fit enough for the bench, the players on the pitch know this is their window to impress. Fast starts have become a theme, and there is little reason to expect a change now.
For Deportivo, this is more than a dress rehearsal. It is a statement night, a chance to show that their return to La Liga will not be built on nostalgia alone. For Real Madrid, it is another step in a new project, another test of a squad being rebuilt on the fly.
One club coming back to the big time. The other trying to stay there, while reshaping itself in real time.
At the Riazor, under the Teresa Herrera lights, we will find out which story feels more convincing.
