Barcelona were held to a nil-nil draw by Getafe on La Liga matchday No 1. The Blaugrana were left frustrated by the team from the Madrid suburbs.
Cadiz are next up for Barcelona and are looking for a second straight La Liga win to start the new campaign.
⚽🏋️♂️ Wednesday workout ✅ pic.twitter.com/xOnXeHHYVi— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 17, 2023
⚽🏋️♂️ Wednesday workout ✅ pic.twitter.com/xOnXeHHYVi
The Yellow Submarine defeated Deportivo Alaves on matchday No 1 by a 1-0 score.
Federico San Emeterio’s seventh-minute goal was enough for Cadiz to post the win.
The only negative for Cadiz was the sending off of Gonzalo Escalante near the end of regulation. Escalante will play no part against Barcelona this weekend.
The match between Barcelona and Cadiz will be played at the former’s new temporary home, the Estadi Lluis Companys.
Camp Nou is undergoing a transformation which has forced the team to play home matches at the Estadi Lluis Companys for the time being.
Barcelona did the league double over Cadiz last season by a combined score of 6-0.
The Blaugrana posted a 4-0 home win before going to Cadiz and claiming a 2-0 victory. Striker Roberto Lewandowski scored two of the six goals for Barcelona.
Cadiz have played well against Barcelona in recent seasons. The Yellow Submarine posted a record of 2W-2D-2L in the teams’ last six meetings.
Barcelona outscored Cadiz 8-4 in the six matches and the teams combined for 23 yellow cards and one red card.
Barcelona were able to register Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu before the opening day of the season.
Inigo Martinez is not officially registered, but he is still nursing an injury.
Xavi has no new injuries to worry about. However, Raphinha will miss the fixture after being sent off on opening day. Ansu Fati could start the match in Raphinha’s place.
Cadiz manager Sergio will be without defender Victor Chust due to a thigh injury.
Forwards Sergi Guardiola and Brian Ocampo are both ruled out of action. Defender Cala is a major doubt after suffering a meniscus injury.
Midfielder Escalante will be a big miss in the centre of the park.
Escalante arrived in the offseason from Lazio for €2.5 million. It was a significant sum for a club the size of Cadiz.
Xavi used a double pivot with Frenkie De Jong and Romeu protecting the back four.
Gundogan was used on the left wing, with Pedri in the No 10 position behind Lewandowski. With Barcelona unable to score against Getafe, Xavi could tweak his starting XI.
Barcelona should edge Cadiz in a close affair. The Blaugrana should win 1-0. Lewandowski could score in his third straight match versus Cadiz in La Liga to send the team to victory.