Cadiz will look to record a third consecutive La Liga victory for the first time this season on Sunday, when they welcome Celta Vigo to Estadio Ramon de Carranza.
An upturn in form has seen Alvaro Cervera's side move up the La Liga table and away from the threat of relegation, while their opponents have dropped to 10th spot after a narrow 4-3 defeat to Sevilla last time out, now sitting just two places above Sunday's hosts.
Match preview
© Reuters
Cadiz recorded a second consecutive victory last time out, as a David Timor own goal made the difference in a 1-0 win away at Getafe.
That followed a 2-1 win at home to Valencia, as Cevera's side sealed the victory in dramatic fashion.
Cadiz took the lead through Cala, but Kevin Gameiro instantly equalised for the visitors and the game looked set to finish 1-1 until Marcos Mauro netted an 88th-minute winner to seal all three points for his side.
As a result of those two victories, Los Piratas have climbed up to 12th spot in the top flight, now sitting nine points clear of the drop zone with eight league games left to play.
While they will now feel all but safe, Cervera will emphasize to his side that they cannot afford to relax until the end of the season, as a few defeats could quickly drag Cadiz back into the fight for survival in the last few games of the campaign.
Their opponents come into this game on the back of a dramatic 4-3 defeat at home to Sevilla last time out.
© Reuters
Jules Kounde opened the scoring for the visitors inside the first 10 minutes, but a goal from Brais Mendez and an Iago Aspas brace meant they went into the second half with a 3-2 lead, until Ivan Rakitic and Alejandro Gomez found the net to take all three points for the Los Rojiblancos.
That was an 11th league defeat in a somewhat underwhelming campaign for Eduardo Coudet's side, after they previously sat comfortably in the top half.
The side from Vigo now sit in 10th spot, just two points ahead of Saturday's opponents in 12th spot and three points ahead of 14th-placed Osasuna.
Their struggles this season have mostly come in defence, with only Granada conceding more than the 48 goals that Coudet's side have shipped in 30 league games.
On the contrary, Los Celestes have been impressive going forward, with only one side outside of the top five topping their tally of 41 goals.
Coudet will feel that his side can finish the season in a strong position if they can find a way to limit the opposition's chances, while maintaining their strong attack, although they have definitely struggled to find that balance over the course of the season.
- L
- W
- D
- L
- W
- W
- D
- W
- D
- L
- W
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Cadiz are expected to remain without important midfielder Alex Fernandez, who has missed the last two games through injury.
Their only other absentee should be Luismi Quezada, who is yet to feature for Los Piratas this season.
They did welcome winger Antony Lozano back to action last time out though, as he came off the bench after a spell out with a sprained knee.
Forward Alvaro Negredo will be looking to end a four-game goal drought on Sunday, having netted seven goals in the Spanish top flight so far this season.
Celta Vigo attacker Facundo Ferreyra should be available for this game, having started training with a broken nose protection mask after he was forced off last time out.
Augusto Solari is set to return to the squad, having recovered from a hamstring injury.
They will also be boosted by the return of centre-back Jeison Murillo, who served a suspension last time out for a red card shown in the victory over Alaves.
However, they will remain without winger Emre Mor as well as goalkeepers Ruben Blanco and Sergio Alvarez.
Worryingly for Coudet, attacker Santi Mina was forced off through injury in the first half against Sevilla, and he could miss Sunday's game.
Iago Aspas will lead the line with confidence, having netted three goals in his last two games to take his tally to 12 league goals for the season alongside 10 assists.
Cadiz possible starting lineup:
Ledesma; Carcelen, Fali, Cala, Espino; Salvi, Jonsson, Mari, Lozano; Negredo, Sobrino
Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:
Villar; Mallo, Aidoo, Murillo, Caricol; Tapia; Mendez, Suarez, Nolito; Aspas, Ferreyra
We say: Cadiz 2-1 Celta Vigo
Despite the major threat of Aspas, we see Cadiz continuing their strong run of form with another impressive victory on Sunday.
Cervera's side have started to build momentum as they look to confirm their safety, and we do not see a depleted Celta Vigo side stopping them.
Top tip
Sam Varley
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Celta Vigo win with a probability of 50.9%. A draw had a probability of 26.2% and a win for Cadiz had a probability of 22.89%.
The most likely scoreline for a Celta Vigo win was 0-1 with a probability of 13.55%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (10.11%) and 1-2 (9.17%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.28%), while for a Cadiz win it was 1-0 (8.23%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 9.1% likelihood.
