The normally cautious Deportivo coach Javier Irureta admits he will have to throw caution to the wind if his team is to overturn a three goal deficit against Leeds United and reach the semifinals of the Champions League on Tuesday. Leeds crushed Deportivo 3-0 in the first leg at Elland Road two weeks ago and it would take a staggering collapse by the in-form English team if they were to lose the tie now.
"We will have to take risks and our only option is to attack the whole match," Irureta said. "In a game like this we can't worry about defending."
At least Irureta can look to his team's second half comeback against Paris St Germain for inspiration. In their last Champions League home game Deportivo came from 3-0 down after 55 minutes to score an astonishing 4-3 victory against the French side - only the second time a three-goal deficit has been overturned in Champions League history.
But the odds are stacked against the Spanish champions with Leeds confirming their fine late-season form with a 2-1 away win over Liverpool on Friday that extended their unbeaten league run to 11 matches.
Leeds boss David O'Leary wants his side to snatch an early goal to end any hopes Deportivo might have of staging a comeback. O'Leary said: "We have proved we can score against the best teams on our travels and an away goal this time would make life easier.”
"But we've got to be very careful. We know that Deportivo can score lots of goals, particularly at home, and we cannot afford any silly mistakes. They ended up toying with Paris, having been three goals down, and I know they feel they can pull us back. It's down to us to give a fully-focused performance over 90 minutes." (Reuters)
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
