Soccer Spain LaLiga 20 February 2023

Barcelona vs Cadiz CF - Match Preview

After Camp Nou saw a back-and-forth 2-2 UEFA Europa League (UEL) draw against Manchester United on Thursday, Barcelona will hope their prior defensive resilience is quickly restored at their famous ground. The Catalans have conceded just one league goal at home this campaign, yet their lead at the top could be cut to five points by the time they meet Cádiz, so they’ll want to stretch their 17-game unbeaten competitive run (W15, D2) and add even further impetus to their title charge.

That means Barça coach Xavi can’t afford to take his eyes off this contest despite potentially having to manage minutes in his squad ahead of next week’s UEL return leg. That’s particularly true as Barcelona have won just once in their last five LL matches against Cádiz (D2, L2) and also lost this fixture last season, albeit that marked their only home H2H loss (W11, D2) against the Yellow Submarine.

That triumph combined with his past role at Espanyol makes visiting manager Sergio González persona non grata, even if he’s lost his other nine managerial career H2Hs against Barcelona, seven without scoring! His side arrives ready to address that record having beaten Girona 2-0 last matchday to move out of the relegation zone, although sitting just two points above the bottom three ahead of the round, Cádiz will be desperate to post consecutive league wins for the first time since May 2021.

The visitors need to address their recent away form to achieve that, having won just one of their last eight away competitive games (D2, L5). That dismal run includes defeats in their last two LL away games and unless they can produce another inspired performance, the Andalusians could lose three such games in a row for the first time since April 2006!

📋 Players to watch: Ultimately unhappy with being substituted, Raphinha assisted the first and scored Barcelona’s equaliser on Thursday making it five contributions (G3, A2) from his previous four matches. Looking to continue a scoring streak of his own, Gonzalo Escalante has netted Cádiz’s opener in their last two games.

⚡ Hot streak: Barcelona have never conceded a first-half goal at home to Cádiz in 14 LL H2Hs.