Champions Real Madrid ran away with La Liga last season, finishing 8 points ahead of 2nd place Villareal; at home they were sensational, winning 17 out of 19 games at the Bernabeu, but away they were not so flawless, with a record of 10-4-5, including a 0-1 loss at Deportivo.

Real won the Spanish super cup (6-5 on aggregate) last week, against Valencia, and a dramatic 2nd leg saw Van Nistelrooy and Van Der Vaart were sent off; Van der Vaart is Real's only major signing of the summer after the well-publicised tranfer of Ronaldo didn't materialise.

Deportivo were in danger of relegation after New Year, but a superb run of 9 wins in 12 games towards the end of the season contributed to a respectable 9th place finish. From the end of January to the end of the season, Depor’s home record was almost as impressive as Real’s (8-1-2 from their last 11 home fixtures).

Match Betting Previews 29-31 August 2008 >>> UEFA Super Cup: - Man Utd v Zenit Premiership: Arsenal v Newcastle - Bolton v WBA - Everton v Portsmouth - Hull v Wigan - Middlesbrough v Stoke - West Ham v Blackburn - Aston Villa v Liverpool - Chelsea v Spurs - Sunderland v Man City La Liga: Deportivo v Real Madrid - Numancia v Barcelona - Valencia v Mallorca Serie A: Sampdoria v Inter - Fiorentina v Juventus - Roma v Napoli Bundesliga: Leverkusen v Hoffenheim - Bayern v Hertha Ligue 1: Marseille v Sochaux - St Etienne v Lyon Superliga: Benfica v FC Porto SPL: Celtic v Rangers

Notably, the away side has only won once out of the last 30 head-to-heads between the sides (Depor 1-0 at the Bernabeu in 2004) and Deportivo have won their last 5 home fixtures against Real Madrid.

Real, though, are favourites at around $2.10, perhaps due to last season’s excellent start where they won 6 and drew 1 out of their first 7 games, but Deportivo’s record against Real at home and their recent home record in general is so strong, that their odds of $3.74 from Pinnacle are very generous and well worth taking.

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Bet: Depor to Win Odds: $3.74 Stake: 4pts Bookies: Pinnacle

Match Betting Previews 23-25 August 2008 >>> Premiership: Blackburn v Hull - Liverpool v Middlesbrough - Newcastle v Bolton - Stoke v Aston Villa - Spurs v Sunderland - WBA v Everton - Fulham v Arsenal - Wigan v Chelsea - Man City v West Ham - Portsmouth v Man Utd Bundesliga: Dortmund v Bayern - Werder v Schalke - Stuttgart v Leverkusen Ligue 1: Le Havre v Marseille - Lyon v Grenoble - Bordeaux v Nantes Champions League: Arsenal v Twente - Liverpool v Standard - Atletico v Schalke