Atletico Madrid will be bidding to bounce back from Wednesday's Champions League disappointment when they make the trip to Cadiz in La Liga on Saturday afternoon.
Diego Simeone's side, who occupy third position in Spain's top flight, saw their last-16 hopes in the European Cup end on Wednesday courtesy of a 2-2 draw with Bayer Leverkusen, while 19th-placed Cadiz will enter this match off the back of a 5-1 loss at Rayo Vallecano in the league.
Match preview
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Cadiz brought a five-game unbeaten run into last weekend's league clash with Rayo Vallecano, but they were on the end of a heavy defeat, conceding five times at Estadio de Vallecas, with all five of the home side's goals coming in the second half of the contest.
The result left the Yellow Submarine in 19th position in the table, boasting just seven points from their opening 11 matches of the season, courtesy of a record of one win, four draws and six defeats.
Worryingly, Cadiz have only scored five league goals this season, which is the worst record in the division, and the current indications are that it will be a tough campaign for the club as they battle to stay in the division.
Sergio Gonzalez's side, who drew four straight league games with Villarreal, Espanyol, Cadiz and Real Betis before the defeat to Rayo, will face Atletico, Getafe and Real Madrid in their final three top-flight fixtures before the campaign breaks for the World Cup.
The Pirates are in their third straight season at this level of football, finishing 12th and 17th in the previous two, which represents their best run in Spain's top flight since the early 1990s.
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Atletico, as mentioned, will enter this match off the back of a 2-2 draw with Leverkusen in the Champions League on Wednesday night, which ended their hopes of reaching the round of 16.
Simeone's side actually had the chance to win the match from the penalty spot in the ninth minute of added time at the end of the 90, but Yannick Carrasco saw his effort saved before Saul Niguez headed against the crossbar, and the Red and Whites are now battling Leverkusen for a Europa League spot.
Atletico must move on quickly from the midweek disappointment, and their recent league form has been strong, winning four of their five fixtures since the 2-1 loss in the Madrid derby, with the run including a 2-1 success over Real Betis last weekend, which has left them third in the table.
A record of seven wins, two draws and two defeats has brought them 23 points from their 11 matches, which has left them five behind second-placed Barcelona and eight from the champions Real Madrid.
Atletico have dominated their recent meetings with Cadiz, recording a 4-1 victory in the corresponding match last season, while they also ran out 2-1 winners at Wanda Metropolitano back in March.
Wednesday's result against Leverkusen led to speculation surrounding Simeone's future, but the Argentine insisted after the match that he has no plans to leave.
Team News
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Cadiz will be missing a number of first-team players for this weekend's contest, with Joseba Zaldua, Momo Mbaye, David Gil, Jon Garrido and Ivan Alejo still on the sidelines through injury.
Meanwhile, both Isaac Carcelen and Ruben Alcaraz will be suspended due to the red cards that they picked up in the heavy defeat to Rayo last time out.
There will be changes from the side that started the team's last fixture, with Lucas Perez, Anthony Lozano, Antonio Blanco, Awer Mabil and Juan Cala potentially all coming into the XI.
As for Atletico, Thomas Lemar, Koke, Sergio Reguilon and Marcos Llorente remain on the sidelines through injury.
The Red and Whites did not suffer any fresh fitness concerns against Leverkusen, though, and Simeone is expected to resist the temptation to make wholesale changes to his side.
Stefan Savic could be back in the middle of the defence, while Rodrigo De Paul is pushing to be involved in central midfield, but Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann should continue as the front two, while Angel Correa is set to keep hold of his spot in a wide area.
Cadiz possible starting lineup:
Ledesma; Cala, L Hernandez, Chust, Espino; Sobrino, Fede, Mabil, Blanco; Perez, Lozano
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Molina, Gimenez, Savic, Reinildo; Correa, Witsel, De Paul, Carrasco; Morata, Griezmann
We say: Cadiz 0-2 Atletico Madrid
Cadiz are a very difficult side to back at the moment due to their struggles, and it is perhaps the worst time to play Atletico, who will be desperate to overcome their European disappointment. We are not expecting a game full of goals but believe that the visitors will have more than enough to secure a comfortable win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
