The stage is set in the Riazor’s cool Atlantic air, and the smell of footballing anxiety will be impossible to miss come Sunday evening. Deportivo de La Coruña Women—fighting for relevance and, frankly, points—host an Atletico Madrid side nursing pride wounds after a humbling six-goal demolition at the hands of Barcelona. This isn’t just another Primera División Femenina fixture. This is a clash between aspiration and expectation, between a side clawing for survival and another that still fancies itself a power, even if the recent evidence wavers.
Look at Deportivo’s recent run: one win in five, just four goals scored, and most damning for a team that built its recent rise on resilience, the points have largely dried up. The 2-2 draw against Logroño was symptomatic. They start brightly—Ainhoa Marín, again, grabbing the headlines early—but mistakes creep in, leads slip, and frustration becomes the companion of every midfielder tracking back in the final quarter-hour. Their record at Riazor offers scant comfort; recent results at home have been as brittle as the Galician autumn weather. But for this squad, the challenge is exactly the kind of adversity that tests mettle and forges memories.
It’s a different pressure for Atletico Madrid. Their result last weekend—a 0-6 battering by Barcelona—wasn’t just a bad day at the office. It was a warning siren. Teams with European ambitions don’t ship six, not if they want to be taken seriously in the title picture. Yet, just days before that, they looked every bit continental juggernauts in a 6-0 Champions League blitz away at St. Pölten, goals falling like confetti from a diverse cast: Garbelini, Medina, Luany, Bøe Risa, and Fiamma Benítez. That’s the paradox of Atletico: devastating in attack on their day, but prone to lapses under pressure, particularly against sides that find ways to disrupt their rhythm.
This is a team that’s averaging two-and-a-half goals per game across the last ten, a tally any coach would envy. But when the spotlight grows harsh and the stakes increase, their back line has shown cracks—cracks that Deportivo will hope to widen, even if their own attacking output has lately been toothless. If Atletico hit their stride, the match could run away from the hosts, but if echoes of last weekend’s collapse linger, Riazor could witness an upset.
Pressure changes players. For Deportivo, it births desperation—and with it, sometimes clarity. Marín is their lightning rod, the one player who refuses to let her side go quietly. Her movement between the lines, that knack for popping up in pockets behind a retreating midfield, will be the biggest source of anxiety for Atletico’s defenders. She’s not alone—if Deportivo can keep possession for phases, their fullbacks’ willingness to bomb on could exploit the same wide spaces Barcelona so ruthlessly opened up last week.
But here’s the flip side: when you chase a game against Atletico, you leave gaps. Their transitions are their deadliest weapon. Fiamma Benítez is in the form of her life, quick to pounce on the counter, and Bøe Risa’s intelligence in threading balls through a stretched midfield is precisely the nightmare scenario for a team low on confidence. Atletico’s frontline won’t face a Barca-like press; they’ll get time, and with it, an opportunity for redemption. There’s a point to prove in every touch after their humiliation.
The tactical battle will be won in the middle third. Deportivo’s hope lies in disrupting build-up and forcing Atletico into hurried decisions—win the ball high, feed Marín, and keep it simple in the final third. Atletico, meanwhile, will want to dictate, force Deportivo’s lines to break shape, and lure them into overcommitting. If they get the first goal, especially early, the match could open up, with space appearing for the likes of Garbelini and Medina to exploit.
What’s truly at stake is more than three points. This is about identity. For Deportivo, it’s about proving they belong at this level, that courage and organisation can still rattle Spain’s elite. For Atletico, it’s about resetting the narrative after a brutal setback—the kind of defeat that lingers in the legs and the mind if not exorcised quickly.
When the whistle blows at Riazor, expect nerves. The first fifteen minutes will be raw, jittery, both sides wary of conceding first. But that’s where leaders emerge. Watch for the body language of Bøe Risa, the urgency in Marín’s pressing, the shouts from the technical area as managers wrestle for tactical control.
Moments like these define seasons. Either Deportivo digs deep and makes Riazor a fortress again, or Atletico shows that class, even after humiliation, is made permanent by response, not avoidance. One side needs to make a statement; the other, to prove the last word hasn’t been spoken. That’s the promise of a proper Sunday night in Galicia—when football is more than a game. It’s a test of character.