Barcelona are aiming to put some light pressure on La Liga leaders Real Madrid this weekend when they travel to Cadiz.
Xavi’s side have steadied themselves since he announced that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season, with Barca even securing a 3-2 victory away at Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League quarter-final first leg midweek.
The Catalan side are somehow only eight points off Real Madrid at the top of the table with a Clasico still to play this season, despite the fact that they have underwhelmed in the defence of their La Liga crown.
Cadiz are currently fighting relegation and sit in a worrying 18th with eight games to play, losing their last three clashes against Barca without even scoring. Picking up points on Saturday looks unlikely for the strugglers but the fact that Xavi may rest players with one eye on the Champions League quarter-final second leg next week will offer them hope.
Here is 90min’s guide to Cadiz vs Barcelona this Saturday.
Cadiz vs Barcelona H2H record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Cadiz |
Barcelona |
|---|---|
|
Cadiz 1-0 Granada – 29/03/24 |
PSG 2-3 Barcelona – 10/04/24 |
|
Real Sociedad 2-0 Cadiz – 15/03/24 |
Barcelona 1-0 Las Palmas – 30/03/24 |
|
Cadiz 2-0 Atletico Madrid – 09/03/24 |
Atletico Madrid 0-3 Barcelona – 17/03/24 |
|
Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Cadiz – 02/03/24 |
Barcelona 3-1 Napoli – 12/03/24 |
|
Cadiz 2-2 Celta Vigo – 25/02/24 |
Barcelona 1-0 Mallorca – 08/03/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel / live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
Premier Sports 1, Premier Sports Player, LaLigaTV |
|
United States |
ESPN+, ESPN Deportes |
|
Canada |
TSN+ |
Cadiz are without a handful of first-team players for the visit of Barcelona, including striker Maxi Gomez. The relegation-threatened side are also missing Rominigue Kouame and Federico San Emeterio, both of whom are out for the season.
Defender Luis Hernandez and left winger Darwin Machis are also absent for Cadiz, whose squad is being stretched by injuries at just the wrong point in the season.
Cadiz predicted lineup (4-4-2): Ledesma; Carcelen, Fali, Chust, J. Hernandez; Navarro, Alcaraz, Fernandez, Sobrino; Ramos, Juanmi.
Barcelona welcomed Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Andreas Christensen back during their victory over PSG – a much-needed boost for Xavi ahead of the end of the season. However, the Catalan side are still without Gavi and Alejandro Balde, both of whom won’t feature until next campaign.
Barca will be without three players through suspension, including star striker Robert Lewandowski. Inigo Martinez and Joao Cancelo are also absent in defence for the Spanish giants.
Xavi is likely to rest a number of players for the trip to Cadiz with the second leg against PSG to come next week, meaning some fringe players should be handed starts.
Barcelona predicted lineup (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Kounde, Christensen, Alonso, Fort; Fermin, Roberto, De Jong; Yamal, Torres, Felix.
With Barca likely resting a whole host of key players for Saturday’s encounter, Cadiz may sniff the opportunity to pull off a memorable result – and a mightily important one in their bid for survival. Mauricio Pellegrino’s side have won two of their last three matches and will feel confident, albeit Barca remain unbeaten since the 5-3 defeat to Villarreal in late January, after which Xavi announced his decision to step down.
However, Xavi’s men should still have more than enough in the tank to secure a victory on Saturday, even if it isn’t entirely straightforward. While the title remains a longshot, Barca will be keen to keep the pressure on Real Madrid heading into the closing weeks of the season.
Prediction: Cadiz 1-2 Barcelona
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