Villa ready to show Deportivo the way to the goal

Deportivo La Coruna will get the chance to see one of the best when they face Valencia and their striker David Villa.

Valencia's David Villa is on a goalscoring streak.

VALENCIA // Deportivo La Coruna's goal-shy forwards will get the chance to study one of the best today when they come face to face with Primera Liga pacesetters Valencia and their red-hot striker David Villa. Depor's goal drought stretched to over four games following Wednesday's 0-0 draw at Osasuna and their players could do worse than take a notepad with them tonight when they get a close-up view of a true goal machine in Villa.

The 26-year-old has struck four times in the league already, as well as netting three goals in two Spain internationals this month. That follows on from a summer where Villa walked off with the Golden Boot at Euro 2008 despite not even being able to finish the tournament due to injury, and shows why he is so highly-rated by both teammates and a host of clubs around the continent. "David is in spectacular form. We have to take advantage," said Valencia midfielder Edu.

Centre-back Alexis echoed those thoughts, saying: "He is a great striker and we know that he is going to have chances. "You take the praise when you are doing well and the fans are happy to see you play. [But] you need to continue doing it because if you play badly on Sunday, you are the ones they blame." Villa may not have an easy job of adding to his tally this weekend though as he comes up against one of the tightest defences in the division so far. Unfortunately for Depor, though, they have one of the worst goalscoring records as well, with only Malaga having netted fewer than their tally of two.

Miguel Angel Lotina's troops have not managed to find the back of the net since Alberto Lopo's 52nd-minute strike in their opening day win over Real Madrid, going goalless in the subsequent league games against Villarreal, Mallorca and Osasuna, as well as the Uefa Cup clash against Brann Bergen. "These numbers suggest that we are very good defensively and very bad offensively," said Lopo. "But I don't want to say that the defenders are very good and the strikers very bad, only that the team defends well but that it also has room for improvement."

* PA Sport