Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini has insisted that the departure of Riquelme does not imply they will have to rebuild.
"This is far from the beginning of a new era," argued Pellegrini. "We have already been playing without him for a long time, so for the team, it is not something new."
Insisting that the season would continue just as it had, he went on to reveal that the team would make a late bid for a Uefa Cup berth, and needed full points against Deportivo in order to do that.
"They are three very important points, even though there are still 51 points to play for, because our intention is to et as many as possible and take an important position in the table," he said.
"We do not know how they [Deportivo] will approach the game - whether they will be very defensive. We know that they have managed some good draws on the road of late, but hopefully we will be able to get through their defensive system.
"They might have had a negative season due to various off-the-field problems, but they are still in the middle of the table. Knowing their coach, I know they will be fighting very hard to get out of their rut."
Pellegrini also confirmed that Matías Fernandez was fit to start after missing out last week's clash. Fernandez has been playing just behind Diego Forlan of late, flanked by Marcos and Cani.
Goal.com - Riquelme Departure No End Of An Era - Villarreal