Cadiz vs Real Madrid

Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla is the venue as perennial bottom-half La Liga strugglers Cadiz take on title-bidding Real Madrid.

It’s been over two months since out-of-sorts Cadiz last won a game in La Liga (D3, L5), meaning they can consider themselves lucky for commencing this round two points clear of the relegation territory. However, ‘El Submarino Amarillo’ will unlikely lose their heads yet, as they’ve reached a 12-game landmark with ten or fewer points to their name in a third consecutive top-flight campaign. Back at the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla, where they’ve only lost once in their last nine league outings (W5, D3), Sergio Gonzalez’s men will seek redemption for a lackluster 1-0 defeat at Getafe before the international break. Real Madrid’s visit to Andalusia cannot inspire much confidence within the Cadiz camp, considering they’ve lost four of their last six La Liga H2Hs at home (D2).

In the meantime, visiting Real Madrid welcomed the international break in high spirits, having racked up an eye-catching ten-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W8, D2) since a 3-1 derby defeat to Atletico Madrid in late September. Carlo Ancelotti’s side thrashed Valencia 5-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu last time out to erase the memory of a tepid 0-0 draw against Rayo Vallecano on their most recent La Liga travel. However, ‘Los Merengues’ suffered a massive setback during the international window as marquee forward Vinicius Junior succumbed to injury, joining a substantial contingent of injured players in the capital. That could hinder Madid’s bid to extend a three-game unbeaten league run on the road (W2, D1) and avoid losing their first La Liga H2H since 1991.