Atletico Madrid arrive at RCDE Stadium on a five-match winning run, 11 points clear of mid-table Espanyol in La Liga.
Deportivo La Coruna host Levante on Friday evening in La Liga, with four points separating two sides level on recent form.
The Argentine centre-back singled out technical director Jason Wilcox in a searing post-match television interview that drew an immediate rebuke from Wayne Rooney.
