La Liga: Barcelona Plan to Get on the Win Column Against Cadiz

Barcelona vs Cadiz

Barcelona’s La Liga title defence is off to a shaky start following last weekend’s La Liga 2023 results, and now they return home to face another ambitious underdog.

The Catalan giants were held to an uninspiring goalless draw against Getafe, and it doesn’t help that both Xavi and Raphinha are suspended for two matches each because of the red cards that they got in the said game, which they are expected to appeal.

Barcelona are going to host Cadiz, who are coming off a 1-0 win against Alaves. Because Camp Nou is being renovated, this game is going to be held at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, their temporary home.

The pre-game SBOTOP betting odds have the hosts as the favourites, but Cadiz have proven before that they can keep up against the defending champions.

Talking Points

Lewandowski must (and can) carry Barca on his back

Kudos to Getafe for making it difficult for Barcelona to breach their defence last weekend. Barcelona, of course, had more shots than Getafe (14 to 5), but none of them went in the back of the net.

The big concern for the Catalan giants was their inability to create danger and space in the final third, which had a direct effect on Robert Lewandowski’s performance. Getafe right-back Damian Suarez said in an interview that their plan was to take the Pole out of the game, and it surely worked.

Against Getafe, the former Bayern Munich man was underwhelming because he only had two shots on target on 31 touches and also turned the ball over 10 times, which cut him a frustrated figure in the match.

In his debut campaign for the Blaugrana, Robert Lewandowski finished as the team’s undisputed top scorer with 33 goals and eight assists across all competitions.

But reports from Spain indicate that the team is contemplating replacing Lewa in Xavi’s starting lineup, with Ferran Torres as the preferred candidate since their patience with the Pole is “wearing thin”.

Lewandowski certainly doesn’t want that, so look for him to try and assert himself by being more aggressive on Sunday night. 

In other news, Barcelona will be without the services of centre-back Ronald Araujo for the next few weeks because of a hamstring injury, while 21-year-old Abde Ezzalzouli will get his chance to impress Xavi since he’s in line for a start with Raphinha suspended.

Cadiz need to improve on the road

Cadiz were in the midst of a close relegation fight last season, but they’re back for the fourth top-flight campaign in a row, which is their best run since the early 1990s.

But in order for them to maintain their top-flight status and avoid yet another relegation battle, Cadiz must improve, especially on the road after only picking up 15 points from their 19 La Liga road matches last campaign.

In fairness to Sergio Gonzalez’s side, they made key additions during this summer’s transfer window, such as defenders Gonzalo Escalante and Javi Hernandez (on loan from Leganes) and Darwin Machis (on loan from Real Valladolid).

History

During the 2021-22 season, Cadiz made it tough against Barcelona, as they held them to a goalless draw in their first league meeting in September 2021 before defeating them 1-0 in the reverse fixture, courtesy of Lucas Perez’s goal.

However, last season, Barcelona achieved a league double over Cadiz, scoring six goals in total without conceding on the other end. Should Barcelona hold Cadiz scoreless again on Sunday, it’ll be the second time that they have kept three straight clean sheets against them in the top-flight since December 1990.

Cadiz haven’t won in any of their last five La Liga road matches (D2, L3). The last time that they went six consecutive games without an away victory in the competition was in March 2021 (D4, L6).

On the flip side, Barcelona have won just one of their last five La Liga matches (D1, L3) after having won 15 of their previous 19 games (D2, L2).

Betting Tip

The La Liga 2023 odds have Barcelona as the huge favourites to win this weekend despite their subpar performance last week. The Catalan giants are priced at 1.20, while a seemingly unlikely Cadiz victory is at 10.50, and a draw is at 5.80 in the 1×2 market.

Cadiz know what it takes to beat Barcelona on the road, so Xavi’s men shouldn’t underestimate them. However, despite their key absences, the hosts should be able to eke out their first win of the 2022-23 season.

 

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