Cadiz vs Barcelona: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

Cadiz host giants Barcelona in a game which could have huge implications at both ends of the La Liga table.

Date: 13/04/24

Kick-off time: 20:00

Venue: Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla

With just eight games remaining, top spot in the league may be out of reach, but for Barcelona there is still plenty to play for. They are currently second in the league, eight points behind leaders Real Madrid and just two ahead of third place Girona. Champions League qualification should be secure as they are 11 points clear of fifth place Athletic Bilbao, but they will want to finish as high as possible. Victory would maintain their advantage over Girona, and could possibly allow them to close the gap on Real should they drop any points.

The hosts, in contrast, are desperately fighting to retain their top flight status for a fifth straight season. With 25 points, they are three adrift from safety as they occupy the final relegation place. Three points would be crucial in closing the gap on those above them, with Celta Vigo and Rayo Vallecano in precarious positions. A loss could see them fall behind further, with the prospect of going down becoming even more realistic.

Xavi’s side have a very strong defence, keeping five clean sheets in their last six, the only goal conceded being in the Champions League against Napoli. Cadiz have scored just 21 goals all season, which is the lowest in the division. Robert Lewandowski is the visitors’ top scorer with 13 goals, but he will be absent through suspension, so they will have to look elsewhere for an attacking threat. This may come from the likes of Ferran Torres and Joao Felix, who have scored 13 goals between them.

Since 2020, these two sides have met eight times in La Liga. Perhaps a surprise, there has not been much to split the pair during this time. Barcelona edge it with three wins to two, and three draws. However, their victories have come in the last three fixtures, and they will be hoping to extend their winning streak against this weekend’s opponents to four. The reverse fixture earlier this season ended 2-0 to Barca. Both goals came late though, with strikes from Pedri and Ferran Torres coming after the 80th minute.

Cadiz

Rominigue Kouame and Maxi Gomez will be sidelined until later this month whilst Luis Hernandez is a doubt with a knee injury.

Barcelona

Andreas Christensen is out with an Achilles injury, but Pedri and Frenkie De Jong are nearing returns from long-term absences. Robert Lewandowski, Joao Cancelo and Inigo Martinez will serve one-game suspensions for an accumulation of yellow cards.

Cadiz

In their last five games, Cadiz have won two, drawn two and lost one. Despite being in a relegation battle, Cadiz have been in decent form as of late. Their most recent game was a narrow 1-0 victory at home to Granada, which was a crucial battle with the team directly below them. Both teams had chances, but it was Robert Navarro’s 51st minute goal which gave the hosts all three points.

It was a good response to a 2-0 loss at Real Sociedad. Both goals came either side of half-time, with Mikel Merino and Arsen Zakharyan on the scoresheet for the home side. They were on the right side of a 2-0 result the week prior, and it was a huge win over giants Atletico Madrid. They were dominated in possession, but managed to near enough match their opponents in shot attempts, and they took advantage of their opportunities, with Juanmi scoring a goal either side of half-time to secure a huge victory.

Their trip to Rayo Vallecano ended in a 1-1 draw. Cadiz are chasing Vallecano in the table, but were unable to get the victory to move them closer. However, it could have been worse, as it took a 91st minute equaliser from Javi Hernandez to salvage a draw after Florian Lejeune opened the scoring earlier on. The first game of this stretch was another draw, this time 2-2 at home to Celta Vigo. Despite the dropped points, they came from 2-0 down to take a point. Iago Aspas and Williot Swedberg put the visitors ahead, but goals from Juanmi and Darwin Machis in the 10th minute of stoppage time meant that the points were shared.

Barcelona

In their last six games, Barcelona have won five and drawn one. It has been a very good few weeks for Barcelona as they head into the final stretch of the season. Their only dropped points came at the beginning of this run as they were held to a goalless draw at Athletic Bilbao. The two sides were identical in shots and shots on target, though Barca enjoyed the majority of possession.

Four straight wins followed, the first of which was a narrow 1-0 victory at home to Mallorca. They were the clear superior team, with 20 attempts and 64% of the ball. However, it was 16-year old Lamine Yamal’s 73rd minute goal which proved to be the difference. Focus then shifted to European action, as they hosted Napoli in the second leg of the Round of 16 in the Champions League. The first leg had ended 1-1, but Barca advanced with a 3-1 win, sending them through 4-2 on aggregate. The hosts went two up through Fermin Lopez and Joao Cancelo, before the Italians pulled one back. Robert Lewandowski added some insurance late on.

A huge 3-0 win at rivals Atletico Madrid strengthened their top four position. Atletico loanee Joao Felix opened the scoring, before Lewandowski and Lopez tacked on two more. Their most recent game was another 1-0 win, this time against Las Palmas. Their task was made much easier when their opponents were reduced to 10 men after 24 minutes. Raphinha scored the only goal of the game with half an hour to go.

Barcelona managed to beat PSG 3-2 in the Champions League on Wednesday night, as Raphinha scored a brace on either side of strikes from Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha while ex-Chelsea man Andreas Christensen bagged a 77th-minute winner for Blaugrana.

Cadiz have been battling in recent weeks as they look to avoid relegation, but Barcelona should have too much for them to overcome. They will put up a good fight, but expect the visitors to leave with all three points – Cadiz 0-2 Barcelona

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Cadiz vs Barcelona will be available to watch on Viaplay Sports 1.

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