Preview: Barcelona vs. Cadiz - prediction, team news, lineups

Xavi's side are currently top of the table, eight points clear of second-placed Real Madrid, while Cadiz are 16th, just two points clear of the relegation zone heading into the next set of fixtures.

Match preview

Barcelona saw an 11-game winning run in all competitions come to an end on Thursday evening, with the Catalan outfit being held to a 2-2 draw by Manchester United in the first leg of their Europa League knockout round playoff.

Xavi's team took the lead in the 50th minute of the match through Marcos Alonso but were then forced to come from behind late on, with Raphinha on the scoresheet after a Marcus Rashford strike and Jules Kounde own goal had sent the visitors 2-1 ahead.

Barcelona will head to Old Trafford for the second leg next week, but their immediate attention is on La Liga, where they will be looking to triumph for the seventh game in a row. Last weekend, the Catalan giants were 1-0 winners over Villarreal to move 11 points clear at the top of the table.

Real Madrid have since cut the advantage to eight, while it would be five if Carlo Ancelotti's side beat Osasuna on Saturday, but Barcelona would then have the chance to go back to eight on the same number of matches in this fixture, which would be a strong lead after 22 games.

Xavi's side have not lost in La Liga since Real Madrid beat them 3-1 at Bernabeu in the middle of October, and they have the best home record in the division this term, picking up 26 points from 10 matches.

Barcelona were 4-0 winners over Cadiz in the reverse match earlier this season, but the Yellow Submarine recorded a famous 1-0 victory at Camp Nou in the league last term.

Indeed, Lucas Perez struck the only goal of the match as Cadiz shocked Barcelona at home last season, and the strugglers will now be looking to make it back-to-back successes at Camp Nou.

El Submarino Amarillo have finished 12th and 17th in their last two La Liga seasons, and they are bidding to make it three straight campaigns at this level for the first time since the early 1990s.

Cadiz have been either close to or in the relegation zone for much of the campaign, and they currently sit 16th in the table, just two points ahead of 18th-placed Valencia.

Sergio Gonzalez's side have picked up six points from their last three league games, though, overcoming both Mallorca and Girona on home soil to move out of the bottom three.

The Andalusian outfit have only picked up eight points from their 10 away La Liga fixtures this term but will be hoping that Barcelona suffer a Europa League hangover in Sunday's intriguing game at Camp Nou.

Barcelona La Liga form:

W

W

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Barcelona form (all competitions):

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D

Cadiz La Liga form:

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D

L

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L

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Team News

Barcelona boss Xavi said on Thursday night that Sergio Busquets could be back for this match, with the experienced midfielder recovering from the ankle problem that he picked up against Sevilla.

Busquets might be used as a substitute on Sunday with a view to starting at Old Trafford next week, but Ousmane Dembele is still out with a hamstring problem, while Pedri suffered a hamstring injury against Man United and is now facing a month out.

Ronald Araujo is suspended for this match, and it seems likely that Xavi will freshen his side on Sunday, so Andreas Christensen, Alejandro Balde and Sergi Roberto could come in for starts.

As for Cadiz, Joseba Zaldua, Jon Ander Garrido and Jose Mari have all been ruled out through injuries, while Victor Chust, Juan Cala, Alvaro Negredo and David Gil remain major doubts.

The visitors will also be without the services of Alfonso Espino due to the yellow card that he picked up in the two-goal success over Girona last time out.

Santiago Arzamendia is expected to come into the side as Espino's replacement, but it could otherwise be the same side that started against Girona, with Roger and Sergi Guardiola playing as the front two.

Barcelona possible starting lineup:

Ter Stegen; Kounde, Christensen, Alonso, Balde; Roberto, F de Jong, Kessie; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Gavi

Cadiz possible starting lineup:

Ledesma; Carcelen, Fali, Hernandez, Arzamendia; Bongonda, Alcaraz, Escalante, Ocampo; Roger, Guardiola

We say: Barcelona 2-0 Cadiz

Cadiz will believe that they have a better chance of picking up a positive in this match due to Barcelona's Europa League involvement on Thursday night, but we are finding it difficult to back against Xavi's side considering their league form. It might not be a classic, but the Catalan outfit should be able to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight in routine fashion.

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