Can Cadiz keep up their good form in Bilbao?
The 20th matchday in La Liga kicks off on Friday with the match between Athletic Bilbao and FC Cadiz. While the hosts are trying to catch up with the international places, the guests are fighting to stay in the league. It is therefore a duel of opposites and the betting odds between Athletic Bilbao and Cadiz are aligned accordingly. Even a win for the home team with a two-goal difference is considered more likely by the bookmakers than a draw.
Bilbao are in seventh place in the home table and have picked up 17 points from ten home games. Especially in their home stadium, their own fans thus expect a win against a team like Cadiz.
However, their form in recent weeks has been mixed, with wins against Valencia and Espanyol and losses to Real Sociedad, Real Madrid and, very surprisingly, Celta Vigo.
Cadiz, on the other hand, are in really good form and took eight points from five games after the World Cup break. The only defeat came after a late red card and a penalty kick against Sevilla.
However, the away record should put a damper on the euphoria, as the blue and yellows have only picked up eight points away from home. For this reason, the bookmakers’ odds between Bilbao and Cadiz also clearly point to a home win.
In sum, the home side are the better team in our Athletic Bilbao vs Cadiz prediction and should take the three points at home. On the other hand, they lack consistency and Cadiz have been in good form in recent weeks. Therefore, we expect a very exciting and close match between these two clubs.
With five goals in the last five games, the visitors’ offence also found a rhythm. Therefore, we recommend a bet on “Both teams score” between Athletic Bilbao and Cadiz.
Athletic Bilbao – Statistics & current form
Bilbao are currently in ninth place in La Liga and are thus running well behind expectations. Ernesto Valverde’s side have picked up 26 points from 19 games and are five points off the international places. A win against Cadiz is a must, especially in their own stadium, otherwise the competition will rush away. Athletic Bilbao have not played in a European competition since 2018. So it would be about time again, because the traditional Spanish club was a fixture in the international business for several years.
The Williams brothers
The two brothers Inaki and Nico Williams are under contract with the hosts. In addition, the two offensive players are also the two top scorers at Athletic Bilbao. The big brother, Inaki Williams, has five goals and one assist. His younger brother has scored three goals and set up three others.
One thing separates them, however, because while Inaki plays for the Ghanaian national team, Nico wears the jersey of Spain. This is a little reminiscent of brothers Jerome and Kevin-Prince Boateng.
Light and shadow
Athletic Bilbao are certainly struggling on the offensive end. Ernesto Valverde’s team did score 25 goals, but 20 of them came in the space of six games. Conversely, this means that the host has only scored five goals in the remaining thirteen games.
In the last five league games, Bilbao even found the way into the opponent’s goal only once. Therefore, one can definitely speak of an offensive crisis. However, the home team is solid defensively, so Cadiz will certainly only get few chances.
Predicted line-up of Athletic Bilbao:
Simon – Lekue, Alvarez, Vivian, Berchiche – Garcia, Herrera, N. Williams, Muniain, Berenguer – Guruzeta
Suspensions and injuries for Athletic Bilbao:
Injured: Inaki Williams, Inigo Martinez
Last matches played by Athletic Bilbao:
La Liga
30/01/2023 – Celta Vigo 1 – 0 Athletic Bilbao
Copa del Rey
27/01/2023 – Valencia 1 – 3 Athletic Bilbao
La Liga
23/01/2023 – Athletic Bilbao 0 – 2 Real Madrid
Copa del Rey
19/01/2023 – Athletic Bilbao 1 – 0 Espanyol
La Liga
15/01/2023 – Real Sociedad 3 – 1 Athletic Bilbao
Cadiz – Statistics & current form
Cadiz are in 18th place in the top Spanish league and are therefore in serious danger of relegation. The team of coach Sergio could only get 19 points from 19 games. However, the chances of staying in the league are still high, because even Almeria in eleventh place has only two points more on their account than FC Cadiz. In the previous season, the Blue and Yellows only just managed to stay in La Liga. In the end, the team finished in 17th place and was only a single point ahead of the first team to be relegated, Granada. It could be similarly exciting this season.
One of the weakest offences in La Liga
The visitors are in the relegation zone for a reason, as Cadiz have only managed to score 14 goals this season. On average, Sergio’s team scores only 0.74 goals per game, making them the weakest offensive team in the league apart from Elche. This is also reflected in the individual statistics, as their top scorer has only three points.
In addition, the Blue and Yellows are not particularly good defensively and have already conceded 29 goals. In this category, too, only FC Elche is weaker. So it doesn’t fit at the back and at the front.
Topscorer with 37
Alvaro Negredo is a household name for many football fans, as the Cadiz FC striker played for Sevilla FC, Valencia FC and Manchester City, among others. This season, the Spaniard has scored one goal and set up two others. That makes him the top scorer in Sergio’s team, along with Alfonso Espino, Alex Fernandez and Lucas Perez.
Of course, this underlines the fact that the visitors lack quality on the offensive and do not have a real goal scorer. In recent weeks, however, Cadiz have been able to reduce this deficiency through cohesion.
Predicted line-up of Cadiz:
Ledesma – Carcelen, Hernandez, Mbaye, Espino – Bongonda, Alcarez, Fernandez, Ocampo – Negredo, Lozano
Cadiz suspensions and injuries:
Injured: Jon Ander Garrido
Last matches played by Cadiz:
La Liga
28/01/2023 – Cadiz 2 – 0 Mallorca
22/01/2023 – Sevilla FC 1 – 0 Cadiz
17/01/2023 – Cadiz 1 – 1 Elche
07/01/2023 – Valencia 0 – 1 Cadiz
31/12/2022 – Cadiz 1 – 1 Almeria
Athletic Bilbao – Cadiz Direct comparison / H2H balance
The direct comparison between the two teams goes to the hosts. Bilbao have won 17 matches against Cadiz, while the visitors have won ten. The last meeting was at the beginning of this season and ended with a clear 4-0 victory for Ernesto Valverde’s team. However, the visiting team has been in good form recently and therefore our prediction between Athletic Bilbao and Cadiz is more towards a goal bet. Especially since the win odds for the home team at 1.42 are not playable with this set of facts.
Athletic Bilbao – Cadiz Tip
We play Athletic Bilbao and Cadiz betting on “2-3 goals” in the match. The red and whites should show their best side especially in their own stadium and already proved in the first leg that the visitors’ defence is no problem for their own offensive. On the other hand, the visiting team is in very good form and therefore we think a result like in the first leg is very unlikely. Above all, Cadiz will not allow themselves to be beaten in their current form. We can very well imagine results like 2:0, 1:1 or 2:1 here.
Bilbao have managed to pick up just two points in their last five league games, meaning they are winless since 8/11/2022. In the same period, Cadiz picked up eight points and only lost to Sevilla due to a red card when they were shorthanded. For this reason, we find the odds for a point win for the visitors between Athletic Bilbao and Cadiz very interesting.
