MY ACCOUNT
Fresh from a 5-1 win over Viktoria Plzen in midweek, Barcelona return to domestic action with a trip to LaLiga’s bottom side, Cadiz, on Saturday for a 5.30pm kick-off.
The Catalan club’s scoring figures are a marvel at such an early point in the season and yet a missed step on opening day still leaves them trailing Real Madrid by two points.
That can only be bad news for Los Piratas, who will be well aware that their guests will not be taking their foot off the gas on Saturday night.
Cadiz, into their third season in the top flight, find themselves rooted to the foot of the table, without so much as a point — or a goal — to their name.
The visit of Barca could hardly have come at a worse time, though an unlikely positive result would certainly serve to boost morale and survival prospects alike.
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Team news
Initial fears over the condition of Sergi Roberto seem to have dissipated in the Barcelona camp, with the midfielder understood to have recovered sufficiently from a muscular issue suffered against Plzen — meaning that Xavi essentially has a fully-fit squad at his disposal.
The weekend’s action could spell a return for the personnel that sat out the win over Czech opposition — Gavi, Raphinha, Ronald Araujo, Alejandro Balde, Eric Garcia and Sergio Busquets could all return to the starting XI.
New arrivals Hector Bellerin and Marcos Alonso were also not involved in the Champions League action, but will be pushing for inclusion as the Blaugrana continue to chase down the champions.
For Cadiz, Jon Ander Garrido misses out again with a knee problem, while there are also doubts over the availability of Ruben Alcaraz, though the home side do otherwise boast a clean bill of health.
The stats
Xavi’s men countered their opening goalless draw with Rayo Vallecano by running in successive 4-1, 4-0 and 3-0 victories over Real Sociedad, Real Valladolid and an off-form Sevilla, meaning their tally from their last four competitive matches stands at 16 goals for with just two conceded.
Summer signing Robert Lewandowski arrived amid much fanfare from Bayern Munich, and he has certainly lived up to the hype so far.
The Poland international has scored five goals after four LaLiga rounds to share the early lead in the Pichichi race, tied with Celta Vigo’s Iago Aspas.
The data does not flatter poor Cadiz, whose torrid start to the season has involved the concession of 10 unanswered LaLiga goals.
Those 10 have, however, all been scored by sides jostling in the top half — Real Sociedad, Osasuna, Athletic Bilbao and Celta Vigo — though that helps them little against the might of a Lewandowski-inspired Barcelona.
Prediction
The task facing Cadiz seems insurmountable, given the fact that sides vying for the Europa League positions — never mind the top four — have caused them no end of problems so far.
The only saving grace for Sergio Gonzalez’s side is Barca’s upcoming European clash in Munich against Bayern on Tuesday, which may spell a rest — at least in part — for the likes of Lewandowski and Ousmane Dembele.
Even so, a hefty victory — and likely to nil — remains firmly on the cards.
