Deportivo warns of a “viral process” ahead of Betis visit

Deportivo welcome Real Betis to Riazor this weekend in what will be their last match before the international break. As Sport reports, the game comes with the hosts trying to cope with a tough opponent: Betis sit third in the league and have won five of six matches played so far.

Doubts from the “viral process”

Deportivo coach Antonio Hidalgo didn’t specify which players are definitely out, but he was clear about the main issue: beyond the need to recover players who have logged a lot of minutes, the squad has been hit by a “viral process” affecting “some players”, something that could lead him to rotate. “It’s complicated. At this time of the morning, there’s still quite a way to go. Let’s see how they recover and how they evolve,” he said, adding that the team will keep working later at Abegondo.

Fitness updates and confirmed absence

Along with the virus, Hidalgo also pointed to specific names. Angeliño Tasende will miss the game through suspension. There are also fitness doubts: Yeremay is “evolving” but still has “physical load” to manage; Adama Traoré is taking longer because he didn’t complete pre-season (“We get that one-on-one, but you have to be calm”); and Mella hasn’t played since the match vs Málaga and is coming off four games without minutes, although the coach says he’s “fully ready”, implying he could be used.

The bigger theme is balance. Hidalgo believes the side must organize their play both with and without the ball, while improving how they threaten in the final third—getting more people into the box with more control and patience.

Betis’ game-control and a long break

Deportivo are coming off a Sevilla match where they struggled to create chances beyond a couple of shots, and Sport highlights that Hidalgo expects a tougher test: against Betis, they’ll have to “suffer”. His message is to stay solid and be brave to hurt a team that tends to carry “a lot of the game’s weight.”

The league then pauses for 21 days, which the coach calls “too long” despite seeing benefits in physical and mental recovery. As he notes, internationals add another layer of strain, mentioning José María Giménez’s trip with Uruguay to Asia.