Barcelona vs Cadiz is next as Barcelona will seek to maintain their lead atop the La Liga table when they host Cadiz on Sunday.
Match Details:
- Location: Barcelona, Spain
- Stadium: Camp Nou
- Date: Sunday 19 February
- Kick-off Time: 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
- Referee: Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes
- VAR: Jose Luis Gonzalez Gonzalez
Barcelona vs Cadiz: Match Preview:
Xavi's side have established a significant lead over rivals Real Madrid and come into this one in sparkling form, having avoided defeat in every game they have played since a loss to Bayern Munich on October 26, 2022. Since then, Barcelona have dropped points just twice.
Cadiz, on the other hand, sit 16th in La Liga, although a recent upturn in form has seen them climb out of the relegation zone. Maintaining that against the league leaders is an entirely different challenge.
Team News:
Barcelona:
Pedri is the latest injury concern for Xavi, who will have to make do without the midfielder for around a month as a result of a hamstring injury. Ousmane Dembele is already sidelined with the same problem.
Sergio Busquets is looking to return from his own fitness problem but may be kept out of action to preserve his legs for the upcoming return leg against Manchester United. Centre-back Ronald Araujo is suspended.
Cadiz:
Joseba Zaldua, Jon Ander Garrido and Jose Mari are all confirmed absentees and the trio are expected to be joined on the sidelines by David Gil, Juan Cala, Victor Chust and Alvaro Negredo.
Alfonso Espino has been suspended as a result of accumulating too many yellow cards.
Barcelona vs Cadiz: Head to Head:
Barcelona have a good recent record against Cadiz and have won four of the last eight matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Cadiz's two victories during this period.
After a run of six consecutive victories against Cadiz leading up to 2006 in La Liga, Barcelona have managed to win only one of their last five such games in the competition.
Barcelona have lost only one of their last 14 home games against Cadiz in La Liga but did lose their previous such match by a 1-0 margin in April last year.
Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 12 matches in La Liga and could equal their best unbeaten streak under Xavi.
Predicted Line-ups:
Barcelona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Roberto, Christensen, Alonso, Balde; Gavi, De Jong, Kessie; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Torres
Cadiz (4-4-2): Ledesma; Carcelen, Fali, Hernandez, Arzamendia; Bongonda, Alcaraz, Escalante, Ocampo; Roger, Guardiola
BAR vs CAD: Fantasy XI
Ter Stegen; Roberto, Christensen, Fali, Gavi, De Jong, Raphinha, Lewandowski,Ocampo; Roger, Guardiola