Cadiz vs Atletico Madrid

La Liga minnows Cadiz continue their faltering quest to secure top-flight survival against top-four hopefuls Atletico Madrid at Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla.

Even though a 1-1 away draw against Rayo Vallecano last weekend extended Cadiz’s longest-ever winless run in La Liga to 23 matches (D12, L11), their hopes of avoiding relegation are still alive. Given the circumstances, Mauricio Pellegrino’s side should consider themselves happy for entering this matchday only five points adrift of safety. But ‘El Submarino Amarillo’ have shown signs of resurgence lately, bouncing back from a two-goal deficit to hold Celta Vigo to a 2-2 draw in their last home match. It was only their second home league outing since a 3-1 win against Villarreal in September to see them score more than once, highlighting their frontline as the team’s weakest link. As the only La Liga team yet to hit a 20-goal landmark this season (18), that’s not far from the truth.

Cadiz’s wayward form against top-tier sides presents Atletico Madrid with a perfect opportunity to build on last weekend’s 2-1 home win against Real Betis and solidify their top-four chances. They’ve opened up a five-point gap between themselves and fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao after pulling together a three-game unbeaten league streak (W2, D1). However, manager Diego Simeone must be freaking out ahead of another La Liga travel, aware of his side’s mediocre away record this season (W4, D3, L6). Topically, Los Rojiblancos have failed to win any of their last five competitive games on the road (D2, L3), drawing a blank on three occasions. But they’ll be confident of overcoming their scoring woes against Cadiz after netting 3+ goals in their last two league H2Hs (W2).