Preview: Cadiz vs. Real Betis - prediction, team news, lineups

The home side are currently down in 18th position in the table, three points from safety, while Real Betis sit eighth, two points behind sixth-placed Real Sociedad in the battle for a European finish.

Match preview

Cadiz have only managed to record two victories during the current La Liga season, with their last success at this level proving to be a 3-1 win over Villarreal at the start of September.

There have certainly been signs of improvement since Mauricio Pellegrino arrived as head coach towards the end of last month, with the 52-year-old leading the side to back-to-back goalless draws against Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal, which will certainly go down as positive results.

Cadiz remain in the relegation zone, boasting just 17 points from 23 matches, but they are only three points behind 17th-placed Mallorca, and there is still plenty of football to be played this season.

Goals have been a huge problem for the Yellow Submarine this term, only managing to find the back of the net on 15 occasions, which is unsurprisingly the worst record in the division.

El Submarino Amarillo are actually in their fourth straight season at this level of football, which is their best run since the early 1990s, so it is a successful period in their recent history.

Real Betis, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Getafe; Mason Greenwood made the breakthrough in the eighth minute of the match, before Isco levelled the scores from the penalty spot towards the end of the first period, and the points were ultimately shared in Seville.

The Green and Whites have been the draw specialists in La Liga this season alongside Mallorca and Cadiz, sharing the points on 11 occasions, and they have only managed to win eight times in the league this term.

Real Betis are eighth, two points behind sixth-placed Real Sociedad, while they are 13 points off the top four, so qualifying for next season's Champions League looks beyond them.

Manuel Pellegrini's side will take on Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa Conference League knockout round playoffs, with the first leg of their clash taking place in Spain next week.

Real Betis' immediate focus is on the league, though, and they will be bidding to end a three-game winless run against Cadiz when the two teams lock horns on Friday night.

Cadiz La Liga form:

D

L

L

L

D

D

Real Betis La Liga form:

D

L

W

L

W

D

Real Betis form (all competitions):

L

L

W

L

W

D

Team News

Cadiz will be without the services of at least three players through injury on Friday, with Luis Hernandez, Javi Hernandez and Roger Marti unavailable for selection.

Fede San Emeterio remains a major doubt, but the home side will be boosted by the returns of Ruben Alcaraz and Fali, who were both suspended for the goalless draw with Villarreal.

Juanmi made his debut off the bench against Villarreal, and the Spaniard, who is on loan from Real Betis, is now pushing for a start, but it seems likely that Ruben Sobrino and Chris Ramos will continue as the front two.

As for Real Betis, Ezequiel Avila, Ayoze Perez, Guido Rodriguez, Youssouf Sabaly and Marc Bartra are on the sidelines through injury, while Marc Roca and Claudio Bravo are major doubts.

Abner is also unlikely to feature due to the problem which forced him off early against Getafe last time out, with Juan Miranda therefore expected to feature at left-back.

Pablo Fornals will be bidding to make his full debut, having arrived from West Ham United, and he is expected to come into a wide area, but Nabil Fekir could again lead the line.

Cadiz possible starting lineup:

Ledesma; Carcelen, Fali, Chust, Pires; Alejo, Escalante, Alcaraz, Navarro; Sobrino, Ramos

Real Betis possible starting lineup:

Silva; Bellerin, Pezzella, Papastathopoulos, Miranda; Cardoso, Altimira; Rodri, Isco, Fornals; Fekir

We say: Cadiz 1-1 Real Betis

Two of the last three league meetings between these two sides have finished level, including a 1-1 draw earlier this season, and we are expecting the same scoreline on Friday evening, with Real Betis winning just twice on their travels in La Liga this term and Cadiz managing only two victories at home.

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