La Liga leaders Barcelona are all set to host 16th-placed Cadiz in search of their 19th win in the league this season.
Relegation-threatened Cadiz will square up against Barcelona at Camp Nou on Sunday. The league leaders will look to maintain their lead at the top of the table, whereas the visitors will try their best to stay outside of the drop zone.
The Catalan giants have been on fire in the league. They have an eight-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid. Barcelona will be heading into this encounter on the back of a 2-2 draw against Manchester United in the Europa League.
Xavi’s men have been sensational in the league. They have managed to accumulate 56 points in their 21 league fixtures. The La Liga leaders are on a six-match winning run in the league and will look to make it seven in a row when they face Cadiz on Sunday.
Barcelona have the best defensive record in the league. They have only conceded seven goals in 21 fixtures. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have the second-best defensive record, having conceded ten more goals than Xavi’s men. They have been clinical in front of goal as well, having scored 43 goals. Only Los Blancos have more league goals (44) in the ongoing season.
As far as the visitors are concerned, they are fighting for survival in the league. Cadiz are currently 16th in the league with 22 point out of the possible 63. They have not had that great a season so far but can still avoid relegation with a decent run of results in the remaining matches.
Cadiz have only won five league matches so far this season, two of which have come in their last five outings. Sergio Gonzalez Soriano’s team are heading into this encounter on the back of a 2-0 win over mid-table side Girona.
They will hope to carry on the good work against the league leaders. But it is not going to be an easy task. Sergio’s men are just two points ahead of 18th-placed Valencia. They will have to fight it right until the end to survive in the league.
Barcelona thrashed Cadiz 4-0 when the two teams met earlier in the season. The Catalan giants will look to recreate something similar however they will face a Cadiz outfit that will give it their all in order to avoid defeat. It will be an interesting battle between the two teams from either end of the table. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look into the teams and the tactics they can deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Barcelona
Sergio Busquets has returned to the squad for the fixture against Cadiz. Xavi has a big boost ahead of the La Liga encounter as the veteran has recovered from the ankle problem. But, he will be without the services of Pedri and Ousmane Dembele.
🚨SQUAD LIST🚨#BarçaCádiz pic.twitter.com/qQJN4gvEeu
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 18, 2023
Even Ronald Araujo won’t be available as he is suspended. Xavi has hinted at rotation in his press conference ahead of the fixture. As a result, Busquets might not start, whereas Andreas Christensen, Alejandro Balde, and Sergi Roberto could get the nod.
Xavi will go ahead with the 4-3-3 formation. Marc-Andre ter Stegen will once again start in goal. Jules Kounde, Christensen, Marcos Alonso, and Alejandro Balde will start as the back four.
Frenkie de Jong will start in the holding role, and he will be supported by Sergio Roberto and Franck Kessie will support him in the center of the park. Raphinha will start on the right flank while Gavi will take charge on the left. Robert Lewandowski will once again lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3):Ter Stegen; Kounde, Christensen, Alonso, Balde; Roberto, F de Jong, Kessie; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Gavi
Cadiz
Sergio Gonzalez Soriano’s team will be without the services of Joseba Zaldua, Jon Ander Garrido, and Jose Mari due to injuries. Victor Chust, Juan Cala, Alvaro Negredo, and David Gil will also miss the trip to Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Alfonso Espino is suspended from this fixture due to his yellow card in the two-goal success over Girona last time out.
🗒️📝 The Cádiz CF 𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 to face @FCBarcelona!#ThisIsCádiz pic.twitter.com/M54n4BBBck
— Cádiz CF 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@Cadiz_CFEN) February 18, 2023
Santiago Arzamendia is will replace Espino. Apart from that the Cadiz boss will be expected to field the same side that started against Girona.
Sergio will go ahead with the 4-4-2 formation. Jeremias Ledesma will start between the sticks. Isaac Carcelen, Luis Hernandez, Rafael Jimenez Jarque, and Arzamendia will be the back four in front of him.
Theo Bongonda, Gonzalo Escalante, Ruben Alcaraz, and Brian Ocampo will resume their duties in the midfield. Roger Marti and Sergi Guardiola will pair up as two attackers for the relegation-threatened team.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ledesma; Carcelen, Fali, Hernandez, Arzamendia; Bongonda, Alcaraz, Escalante, Ocampo; Roger, Guardiola
Key Stats
- Barcelona have won four out of the last eight matches against Cadiz. While the visitors have twice during this period.
- The Catalan giants have the best defensive record in the league. They have only conceded seven goals in 21 matches.
- Barcelona lost their last home game against Cadiz 1-0 in April last year. That was their only loss in their last 14 home games against Sergio Gonzalez Soriano’s team.
- Barcelona have not lost in their last 12 league matches.
- Cadiz have lost their last two away games in the league.
Player to Watch
Robert Lewandowski
The league’s top scorer will once again be the player to watch out for. He has been in red-hot form and will look to continue his goal-scoring run in the league. Lewandowski found the back of the net in their last league outing against Villarreal.
He has already scored 14 goals in La Liga and will look to extend his lead as the league’s top scorer. The Polish forward did score in the earlier meeting between the two and will look to do the same this time around.
Prediction
Barcelona 2-0 Cadiz
Despite rotating the squad, Xavi will expect his team to take care of a relegation-threatened outfit. Barcelona will be expected to come out on top given their form of late. They have been on a winning streak and will hope to keep it going when they square up against Sergio González Soriano’s team.
Cadiz will try their best to avoid defeat but the Catalan giants might be too good for them. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the home team. That is a solid result despite potentially rotating the team ahead of the return leg against Manchester United, who will also be in action on Sunday.
