Last chance for Barca coach Koeman?

There are certainly more pleasant things than being a FC Barcelona fan at the moment. Lionel Messi’s departure still weighs extremely heavily on a sporting and emotional level. On top of that, there are the financial worries at the club as well as a weak start to the new season including the low point at the start of the Champions League group stage a week ago

The mood at the Catalans is tense. Coach Ronald Koeman has come in for a lot of criticism and the team seems anything but confident at the moment. For this reason, it comes as something of a surprise that the odds on an away win in the clash between Cadiz and Barcelona on Thursday evening are so low.

Barca lost 3-0 to Bayern last time out and also had to settle for a meagre 1-1 draw at home to Granada on Monday night. The Andalusian hosts, on the other hand, were buoyed by a 2-1 win at Celta Vigo and also had two more full days to recover. Given the already tense personnel situation at the Blaugrana this should also factor into the Cadiz vs. Barcelona prediction.

Spain Cadiz – Statistics & current form

For Cadiz Club de Fútbol, a season in Spain’s top football league is still an adventure. This is only the 14th time that the Andalusians have been able to compete with the crème de la crème of national football over an entire season. It is clear to everyone involved that the primary goal is, of course, to stay in the league.

The yellow and blue team will be all the more pleased that the start to the 2021/22 season has been quite good so far. After all, coach Álvaro Cervera’s team has already picked up five points in the first five matchdays, even though an absolute heavyweight has not yet been on the schedule.

Will Cadiz benefit from the longer recovery period?

After two draws and two defeats to start the season, the promoted side from pre-season also finally celebrated their first treble on Friday evening with a 2-1 win at Celta Vigo. With regard to the upcoming task against Barca, this success was doubly important.

On the one hand, the self-confidence has increased and the pressure has decreased, on the other hand, “El Submarino Amarillo” had more than 48 hours more time to prepare for the upcoming match. Against a tired opponent playing their fourth competitive match in ten days, this could well become an advantage and favour a prediction on the home team between Cadiz and Barcelona.

The Andalusians have already scored six goals this season

A little less risky than betting on the underdog to win a point, but at the same time hardly less interesting, is the recommendation that both teams score at least once. Statistically, the probability is quite high, as Cervera’s side have only failed to score in one of their five games so far this season. Meanwhile, there has not yet been a clean sheet. In four out of five matches, a bet on “both teams to score” would have paid off.

Jon Ander Garrido, Jose Mari, Alberto Perea and Carlos Akapo will definitely not be available due to injury. Instead, defender Cala will return to the starting eleven after overcoming his suspension. On the offensive side, it will be interesting to see whether the 56-year-old coach will once again leave out his most valuable player, Alex Fernandez, from the start. The two-time season goalscorer has only come off the bench recently, as has veteran Alvaro Negredo.

Predicted line-up of Cadiz:
Ledesma; Carcelen, Cala, Haroyan, Espino; Salvi, Fali, Alarcon, Jonsson, Lozano; Negredo

Last matches played by Cadiz:

Spain Barcelona – Statistics & current form

There were times when FC Barcelona were representative of their own form of football. With the likes of Messi, Iniesta and Xavi, and under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola, the Catalans celebrated the sport in a new way, establishing the “Tiki-Taka” style of play. Almost a decade later, this DNA of Barca football seems to have been completely lost Most recently, the blue and reds even had to listen to malice from their own fans.

The focus of criticism is above all on coach Ronald Koeman, who not for the first time recently had to justify why his team works with so many crosses from the outside, although with Depay, Coutinho and youngster Demir only small, technically skilled and playfully strong attackers are on the pitch.

Barcelona still without a clean sheet in La Liga

The attacking harmlessness was reflected firstly in the 3-0 defeat at home to FC Bayern and secondly in the 1-1 draw at home to Granada on Monday night. Against the southern Spanish side, it took until the final minute before centre-back Araujo scored the lucky equaliser.

Although the 26-time Spanish champions remained unbeaten in their fourth league game of 2021/22, the output of only two wins and two draws in conjunction with the weak performances is too little for the high expectations of the championship candidates in La Liga. At the moment, they are only in eighth place, with a game of catch-up still up their sleeve.

Tight personnel situation is a cause for concern

In addition to the lack of punch on the offensive, the defence also looks anything but solid at times. Barca have conceded at least one goal in all five of their competitive matches this season. In the Spanish top flight, both teams have scored in all four games involving the Blaugrana, which is a clear indication to take a closer look at the odds on the “BTS” between Cadiz and Barcelona.

Despite the injury absences of Ansu Fati, Sergio Aguero and Ousmane Dembele, the aforementioned trio of Depay, Coutinho and Demir are of course always good for goals. Almost more serious, however, is the absence of midfield machine Pedri and the absence of the two regular left-backs Jordi Alba and Alejandro Balde. Oscar Mingueza will once again have to help out on the left side of the four-man defence, but this offers the opposition attacking potential.

Predicted line-up of Barcelona:
Ter Stegen; Mingueza, Araujo, Garcia, Dest; Roberto, Busquets, De Jong; Coutinho, Depay, Demir

Last matches played by Barcelona:

Cadiz – Barcelona Direct comparison / H2H record

26 Duels have been played between the two teams so far on a competitive level. With 19 victories, FC Barcelona are clearly ahead in the direct comparison. Cadiz, meanwhile, have only won three matches, although it should at least be mentioned positively that all three victories have been celebrated in their own stadium. One of these three victories came last season, when Cadiz sensationally won 2-1 at home. In the second leg, the underdogs also managed to snatch a surprising point in a 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou.

Spain Cadiz – Barcelona Spain Tip

Focusing on the names Cadiz and Barcelona alone, a prediction in the direction of the home side seems almost utopian. However, if we put this encounter in the context of the last few weeks and also look at the two most recent direct duels between these teams, a completely different picture emerges.

Barcelona are in a worrying state, are only really world-class in terms of quality when all their players are fully available, and have been disastrously poor in the recent 3-0 defeat to Bayern and the last-minute draw at home to Granada. Added to this is the injury plight and the ongoing discussions about the future of coach Ronald Koeman.

On the other side, the Andalusians are an opponent with nothing to lose after their first win of the season last Friday, who have had more time to recover and have already defied the 26-time Spanish champions in the pre-season with a win and a draw in the first and second legs.

However, because the bet on the double chance 1/X between Cadiz and Barcelona is possibly a bit too hot for us, we direct our focus to the betting market “Both hit”. The southern Spaniards have only failed to score in one of their five games this season; Barca, on the other hand, have always conceded at least one goal in five compulsory games. So there is a lot to suggest that the betting odds on both sides to score will pay off in the clash between Cadiz and Barcelona