Deportivo out to keep 100-percent record

Real Madrid and David Beckham are grabbing the headlines but it is Deportivo La Coruna who are topping the Spanish first division with a 100 percent record and they are out to keep their winning streak alive at Albacete tomorrow.

The 1999-2000 champions have rattled off three straight wins while newly promoted Albacete are already starting to fulfil preseason predictions that they will be going straight back to the second division by failing to get a point and only one goal in their first trio of outings.

The Galicians lost European Golden Boot winner Roy Makaay in the summer to Bayern Munich but Uruguayan striker Walter Pandiani has stepped into the breech and scored in his last four games after returning from a season on loan at Real Mallorca.

Real Madrid are two points behind Deportivo in second place and one of six unbeaten teams.

The reigning champions can also boast a strike rate twice that of any other team in the Spanish first division, helped considerably by their 7-2 thrashing of Valladolid last Saturday, but perversely may find life more difficult at lowly Malaga tomorrow.

Last season, Malaga were 2-0 ahead at half time in the corresponding fixture only to throw the game away by conceding three second half goals.

The feelings for revenge are heightened by the fact that six of the current squad have spent time at Real often only to be dismissed abruptly.

Real are expected to name the same side that started against Valladolid, despite the fact that Spanish international Ivan Helguera trained normally on Thursday for the first time in 10 days.

Barcelona lie third with seven points after three games, and are looking to keep up the pressure on the top two with a strong performance against Osasuna today.