Cadiz vs Real Madrid
Cadiz are out to allay any fears of relegation from the Spanish top-flight. On Saturday, they will return home to the Nuevo Mirandilla Stadium to host the defending La Liga champions, Real Madrid.
The hosts are fresh from a 2-0 win against Real Betis last Sunday, putting an end to their winless run, and they need more La Liga 2023 results like that in order to fully guarantee their spot in the top division next season.
Facing Real Madrid is a daunting task, but Sergio’s side has proven before that they can keep up. And with the visitors looking like they’re just going through the motions now that Barcelona are in pole position in the title race, they might be able to catch them off-guard once again.
Talking Points
Cadiz not yet out of the woods
Cadiz may be 14th right now in the La Liga standings, but they’re not yet safe since they’re only four points clear of the relegation zone.
Prior to beating Real Betis last week, Cadiz hadn’t won in their four previous games. Overall, they’ve been inconsistent throughout the season, and that needs to change.
Just like before, Cadiz’s defence has been erratic. They’ve kept three clean sheets in their last six games, but they’ve already conceded 40 goals this season.
They haven’t done much on the other side of the pitch either, as they’ve scored only 23 goals so far – the second-worst mark in La Liga right now.
Sergio’s side will again be missing several key players for this game, including their first-choice goalkeeper, Jeremias Ledesma, due to suspension.
The team has had 12 different goal scorers already this term, but their biggest threats in the final third are Ruben Alcaraz, Chris Ramos, and Sergi Guardiola.
Real Madrid might make wholesale changes
It’s another busy stretch for Real Madrid, as other than the Champions League and La Liga, they’ll also compete in the Copa del Rey final, where they’ll take on Osasuna in May.
It’ll take a miracle for Real Madrid to win this year’s La Liga title, especially after they dropped more points after losing 3-2 to Villarreal last Saturday.
As weird as it sounds, La Liga is not (and should not be) Carlo Ancelotti’s top priority anymore, so we expect them to field a much different starting lineup against Cadiz.
Eder Militao, Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Fede Valverde, and Toni Kroos may all get the night off to prepare for Chelsea in the second leg. With all of them potentially out, the likes of Antonio Rudiger, Lucas Vazquez, Dani Ceballos, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Nacho will get a run-in.
With Benzema sidelined, Vinicius Junior will lead up front alongside Marco Asensio and Rodrygo. Vinicius Junior is having another spectacular campaign for Los Blancos, recording 18 goals and 11 assists already this term.
History
Cadiz have not lost to Real Madrid in three of their last five La Liga encounters (W1, D2, L2), which is as many as in their previous 15 games against them (W1, D2, L12).
Last season, Cadiz held Real Madrid to back-to-back draws, although they lost their reverse fixture earlier this season.
In November, Real Madrid got a 2-1 win over Cadiz at the Bernabeu, as Eder Militao and Toni Kroos scored for Los Blancos, while Lucas Perez netted the consolation goal for the visitors.
Real Madrid have only lost one of their last 12 away games against Cadiz in the Spanish top-flight (W8, D3) after losing in their first two visits in 1977 and 1981 (both by 1-0 scorelines).
But Los Blancos are not in the best shape because they have lost two of their last three La Liga games (W1). This season, they now have five league defeats after 28 games (W18, D5), which is their most losses at this juncture since 2018-19 (W17, D3, L8).
Betting Tip
Real Madrid are unsurprisingly favoured in the SBOTOP La Liga 2023 odds to win. For this match, Los Blancos are pegged at 1.56, whereas Cadiz are priced at 5.60, and a draw is at 3.80 in the 1X2 market.
With fewer games on their schedule, Cadiz are going to be the fresher team and they may give Real Madrid problems once again. However, even with a rotated lineup, the visitors should have enough ammo to put away the hosts this weekend.
Save for their goalless draw in their December 2021 matchup, we expect goals from this contest, making Total Goal 2-3 at 1.96 your best alternative bet.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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