FC BARCELONA vs CÁDIZ CF: Preview, Team News and Prediction

Following an enthralling performance to grab a superlative result from Paris, the Champions travel to relegation threatened Cádiz to stay alive in the La Liga title race. Xavi and his men have one eye on the 2nd leg of the UCL QF tie next Tuesday, but they need to continue their winning run in La Liga to keep their feeble title hopes alive.

Barcelona are on a 12 game unbeaten run in all competitions and have won 5 of their last 6 La Liga games. The team has been high on confidence and showed great determination to stage a comeback after conceding two goals in just five minutes at the Parc des Princes. With Real Madrid showing no signs of letting their grip loose on the title, Barcelona need to do their job at hand and hope that a win in the forthcoming El Clásico would act as a catalyst in their title aspirations. No team has lost the league after leading by 8 points with 7 games remaining but Xavi’s troops are hopeful that the title will be theirs in May provided they continue their winning run.

Barcelona have been on a defensive upturn, securing 5 straight La Liga clean sheets in a row. Their mix of youth and experience has worked expertly for the manager and they look like a rejuvenated and dangerous side with the return of their key players. Barcelona managed to secure a close 1-0 victory in their last league game vs Las Palmas courtesy of a delightful long ball from João Félix for Raphinha. The Blaugranes could have scored a lot more if not for poor finishing in the final third.

The gulf in quality between Barcelona and their next opponent is quite substantial and this should be an easy matchup on paper. Cádiz are seated at a lowly 18th in the La Liga table, 3 points adrift from safety. However, the Andalusian club has shown signs of resurgence in recent weeks after having a torrid start to the year. Pellegrino’s men have won two and drawn two of their last 5 games and have been dominant on their home turf. Their victory included a morale boosting 2-0 triumph over Simone’s Atlético Madrid and they would be looking forward to building on that performance with a positive result against the Blaugranes.

The Catalans emerged with a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture at the Montjuïc in August courtesy of late goals from Pedri and Ferran. That win incidentally was their first this season and Xavi would be hoping for a similar result from his troops this time around. There are bound to be a number of changes due to the short turnaround between the trip to Cádiz and the humongous second leg vs PSG, but Barcelona know they have no breathing room and cannot take the team from Cádiz lightly if they are to be crowned the Champions of Spain.

TEAM NEWS

FC BARCELONA

Head Coach Xavi Hernández would serve the second of his two-game suspension, and Oscar Hernández would replace him on the sidelines. With an eye on the PSG game, the coaching staff would implement a host of changes to the starting lineup. The game against the Parisians would see Christensen and Roberto suspended and they would be included in the starting lineup this weekend.

Araújo, Cubarsí and Koundé are likely to be rested for this fixture alongside the front three of Lewandowski, Yamal and Raphinha. Gündoğan has been playing every possible minute and should be on the bench for some much needed rest. Barcelona finally have a fully fit squad(barring Gavi and Balde) and have enough squad depth to allow Xavi to rest his regulars and still come away with a win.

Predicted XI (4-3-3);

Marc-André ter Stegen,Marcos Alonso , Andres Christensen, Iñigo Martínez, Hector Fort, Oriol Romeu, Sergi Roberto, Fermín López, Ferran Torres, Vitor Roque, João Félix

Cádiz CF

Cádiz, much like Barcelona, have been on the receiving end of some severe injury crisis throughout the season, leaving coach Pellegrino short of options. The team struggled with scoring goals and keeping clean sheets for the vast majority of their campaign. The past few weeks have been generous for the Cádiz faithful who have seen a return of their best players and a change in fortune. They are unlikely to tinker with the 11 which won 1-0 last time around against Granada.

Predicted XI (4-4-2);

Conan Ledesma; Iza Carcelén, Víctor Chust, Fali, Javi Hernández; Robert Navarro, Rubén Alcaraz, Álex Fernández, Rubén Sobrino; Chris Ramos, Juanmi

PREDICTION

Both Barcelona and Cádiz are in desperate need of the 3 points on offer. Whilst Barça need the win to keep their league title hopes alive, a positive result is imperious for Cádiz if they are to extend their stay in La Liga next season. With a host of predicted changes to the lineup, the Catalans might take time to grow into the game but should have enough in them to get past the Andalusian side who would be counting on their home support to spur them to victory.

CÁDIZ CF 1-3 FC BARCELONA