Barcelona will be looking to record their sixth straight victory in all competitions when they resume their La Liga campaign away to a relegation-threatened Cadiz outfit on Saturday night.
Xavi's side will enter the match off the back of a 3-2 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, while Cadiz beat Granada 1-0 in La Liga last time out.
Match preview
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Cadiz failed to win in La Liga between September 1 and March 9, with the team looking destined to drop back down into the Segunda Division, but six points from the last nine available has ignited their battle to escape the bottom three.
Mauricio Pellegrino's side have beaten Atletico Madrid and Granada at home either side of a 2-0 defeat at Real Sociedad, while they have only lost one of their last five matches in Spain's top flight.
The Yellow Submarine remain in the relegation zone, sitting 18th in the table, but they are now just three points behind 17th-placed Celta Vigo, and there is still a lot of football to be played before the end of the campaign.
Cadiz will certainly be the underdogs this weekend, but they have won two of their last seven La Liga matches against Barcelona, and the home side will certainly be the fresher of the two teams, having not been in action since a 1-0 success over Granada on March 29.
El Submarino Amarillo are in their fourth straight campaign at this level of football, which is their best run since the early 1990s, and it would be some achievement if they could avoid relegation considering their struggles this term.
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Barcelona, as mentioned, recorded a 3-2 win over PSG in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in Paris, with the Catalan outfit in a strong position to reach the semi-finals of the competition.
The La Liga champions are unbeaten in all competitions since the end of January, while they have been victorious in their last five matches, with three of those coming in the league, including a 3-0 success over Atletico Madrid in their last away game in Spain's top flight.
Barcelona are currently second in the table, eight points behind the leaders Real Madrid, who can open up an 11-point advantage when they head to Mallorca on Saturday, but Los Blancos will also have one eye on the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City.
Xavi's team will take on Real Madrid in El Clasico on April 21, so a win here is vital if they are to stand a chance of making it a fight for the title heading into the final straight.
Barcelona are still hopeful that Xavi will decide against standing down as head coach this summer, and the team are in the hunt for two major trophies despite their issues this term.
The Catalan side have the second-best away form in La Liga this season, picking up 30 points from 14 games, remaining unbeaten in the process, but Cadiz have only suffered four home league defeats in 2023-24.
Team News
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Cadiz will be without the services of four first-team players for this weekend's contest, with Romingue Kouame, Maxi Gomez, Fede San Emeterio and Luis Hernandez on the sidelines.
Alex Fernandez replaced Kouame off the bench against Granada, and the Spaniard is now likely to come into the starting XI on Saturday due to the latter's absence.
Head coach Pellegrino is otherwise expected to select the same side due to the manner of the performance last time out, with Chris Ramos likely to keep his spot alongside Juanmi in the final third of the field.
As for Barcelona, Gavi and Alejandro Balde remain long-term absentees, but Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and Andreas Christensen made their injury returns against PSG.
Christensen is suspended for the second leg with the French champions next week alongside Sergi Roberto, so both players are expected to be named in the starting side for this match.
Barcelona will be missing three players through suspension against Cadiz, though, with Inigo Martinez, Joao Cancelo and Robert Lewandowski unavailable for selection.
Hector Fort, Joao Felix, Ferran Torres and Fermin Lopez could all come into the side on Saturday, with Xavi set to have one eye on the return game with PSG next week, but Pedri is likely to feature off the bench once again ahead of a potential start in the second leg with Luis Enrique's team.
Cadiz possible starting lineup:
Ledesma; Carcelen, Chust, Fali, J Hernandez; Navarro, Alcaraz, Alex, Sobrino; Ramos, Juanmi
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Fort; Fermin, Roberto, De Jong; Raphinha, F Torres, Felix
We say: Cadiz 0-1 Barcelona
Cadiz are more than capable of making this an uncomfortable match for Barcelona, with the relegation-threatened side winning their last two league games at home.
The visitors will not be at full strength, but they are on a roll at the moment, and we are backing Xavi's side to edge a close game on Saturday night to continue their impressive winning run.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
