Cadiz vs Real Betis

Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla is the venue as relegation-threatened Cadiz and European chasers Real Betis meet in a high-stakes La Liga showdown.

Mauricio Pellegrino’s managerial tenure at Cadiz has been off to a dismal start, with hot relegation candidates playing out back-to-back scoreless draws under their new boss. But avoiding defeats against Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal is no small feat, though the hosts remain stranded in the bottom three, three points below safety. ‘El Submarino Amarillo’ may even consider themselves lucky for still boasting survival hopes, considering they head into proceedings amidst the longest winless streak in their La Liga history (D10, L9). Goals have been at a premium for Cadiz, as they’ve bagged just one goal in their last six league outings, highlighting the potential for another tepid affair. With eight of their nine top-flight H2Hs against Betis in the 21st century featuring under 2.5 goals, a low-scoring contest is well on the cards.

Visiting Betis are low-scoring specialists themselves, as evidenced by an uneventful run, which has seen three of their last four La Liga matches produce under 2.5 goals. Betis’ substantial scoring woes on the road could contribute to another similar affair, as they’ve netted one goal or fewer on their last nine La Liga travels! With that in mind, it’s hardly a surprise they’ve only won once during that stretch (D6, L2). It’s also part of the reason they head into this round two points short of sixth-placed Real Sociedad. Manuel Pellegrini should still be confident of increasing his side’s points tally after Los Verdiblancos lost just one of their last 11 top-flight encounters against Cadiz. But winning just five of the remaining ten H2Hs in the sequence (D5) means a victory is not a foregone conclusion.