Cadiz will be looking to recover from back-to-back La Liga defeats when they continue their 2020-21 campaign away to Elche on Saturday afternoon.
The Yellow Submarine have lost their last two matches to Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad but remain fifth in the table, while Elche currently occupy 10th spot, having picked up 12 points from eight games.
Match preview
© Reuters
Back in La Liga after a five-season absence, Elche will be pleased with their start to the 2020-21 campaign, picking up 12 points from their eight matches to occupy 10th spot in the table.
The newly-promoted outfit are actually only five points behind fourth-placed Real Madrid with a game in hand, which is an indication of their excellent form in the opening months of the season.
Los Franjiverdes have only lost one of their last seven in the league but have been held by both Celta Vigo and Levante in their last two matches in Spain's top flight.
Jorge Almiron's side are unbeaten in their last three league matches with Cadiz, meanwhile, although the two teams played out goalless draws in their two fixtures during the 2019-20 Segunda Division.
© Reuters
Cadiz, meanwhile, have also made an extremely positive impression on their return to this level, collecting 14 points from their 10 matches to occupy fifth position in the table.
Alvaro Cervera's side are yet to triumph in November, though, having lost heavily at title hopefuls Atletico towards the start of the month before suffering a 1-0 home defeat to leaders Real Sociedad last weekend.
El Submarino Amarillo will view Saturday's contest as the ideal chance to return to winning ways, particularly ahead of a huge home game against Barcelona on December 5.
Cadiz have not managed to secure back-to-back seasons at this level of football since 1992-93 but have shown in the early months that they are more than capable of competing in Spain's top flight.
Elche La Liga form: DWWLDD
Cadiz La Liga form: DWDWLL
Team News
© Reuters
Elche will again be without the services of Youssouf Kone, Fidel and Emiliano Rigoni for this weekend's contest, while Diego Bri is likely to miss out with a muscular problem.
There are not expected to be many surprises in the home side's starting XI on Saturday, with Tete Morente and Pere Milla again potentially supporting Lucas Boye in the final third of the field.
Guido Carrillo provides an option for change in an attacking position, but Elche have been relatively settled this season in terms of team selection, meaning that the likes of Nuno and Luismi Sanchez should remain on the bench.
As for Cadiz, Juan Cala and Alvaro Negredo are definitely still on the sidelines, while Augusto Fernandez will again be unavailable for selection due to a muscular problem.
Jose Mari and Salvi Sanchez are also doubts, meaning that the visitors will be far from at full strength on Saturday afternoon, potentially handing Elche a huge advantage.
The visitors should be able to welcome back key forward Anthony Lozano, though, as the 27-year-old has served his quarantine period after a positive coronavirus test ruled him out of the clash with Sociedad.
Elche possible starting lineup:
Badia; Barragan, Verdu, Gonzalez; Josan, Marcone, Guti, Josema; Milla, Boye, Morente
Cadiz possible starting lineup:
Ledesma; Carcelen, Lopez, Fali, Espino; Jonsson, Alex, Garrido; Malbasic, Lozano, Izquierdo
We say: Elche 1-1 Cadiz
Cadiz's absences this weekend arguably make Elche the favourites to triumph, but we are finding it difficult to separate them. The two teams played out goalless draws in their two league meetings last season, and we are predicting another stalemate on Saturday afternoon.
Top betting tip
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 Cadiz win with a probability of 37.3%. A win for Elche had a probability of 33.27% and a draw had a probability of 29.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Cadiz win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.92%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (7.52%) and 0-2 (7.23%). The likeliest Elche win was 1-0 (12%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.43%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 13.4% likelihood.
