Cadiz will head to Levante on Friday evening knowing that a win could be enough to secure a top-10 finish in Spain's top flight.
The visitors are currently 12th in La Liga, two points behind 10th-placed Granada, while Levante occupy 14th position in the table, three points below their opponents here.
Match preview
© Reuters
Levante have finished 15th, 15th and 12th in their last three La Liga seasons, and they will be ending the 2020-21 campaign in a similar position.
Indeed, a record of nine wins, 13 draws and 15 defeats from 37 matches has brought them 40 points, which is enough for 14th position entering the final round of fixtures; they are three points from 12th-placed Cadiz but only three points ahead of 16th-placed Getafe.
Paco Lopez's side looked capable of pushing for a top-half finish earlier this year, but a disappointing run of form over the last couple of months has seen them slide down the table.
The Frogs have actually lost five of their last seven in the league, failing to win in the process, and they will enter this match off the back of a disappointing 2-1 loss to Getafe on May 16.
Home form has been a problem for the Valencia-based side this term, winning just five of their 18 La Liga fixtures on their own patch, while they have not beaten Cadiz in the league since February 2010.
© Reuters
Cadiz's 2020-21 campaign must be considered as a huge success, having more than competed at this level of football since gaining promotion from the Segunda Division last term.
The Yellow Submarine have comfortably avoided a relegation battle, with 43 points from 37 matches leaving them in 12th position in the table; a lot would have to happen in order to secure a top-10 finish, but a victory on Friday would, temporarily at least, move them into the top half of the division.
Alvaro Cervera's side will enter Friday's contest off the back of successive defeats to Osasuna and Elche, but they have already won twice in May, overcoming Granada and Huesca at the start of the month.
Cadiz, who are on course for their highest-ever finish at this level of football, have also impressed on their travels this term, picking up 23 points from 18 matches, losing just seven times in the process.
As mentioned, Levante have not beaten Cadiz since February 2010, but the last three league meetings between the two sides have finished level, including a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
- L
- L
- L
- D
- D
- L
- L
- D
- W
- W
- L
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Levante will again be without the services of Sergio Postigo, Nemanja Radoja and Nikola Vukcevic through injury for their final league match of the season.
Head coach Lopez is expected to make changes from the side that lost to Getafe, with Oscar Duarte, Roger Marti and Enis Bardhi among those likely to feature.
Jose Luis Morales could move into a central position for the hosts alongside Roger Marti, with Dani Gomez and Alejandro Cantero potentially dropping down to the bench.
As for Cadiz, Carlos Akapo, Salvi Sanchez, Luismi Quezada, Alex Fernandez and Juan Cala remain on the sidelines through injury.
Alvaro could decide to shuffle his pack from the home defeat to Elche, with the likes of Jairo Izquierdo, Alvaro Negredo and Ruben Sobrino potentially returning to the side.
Anthony Lozano played in a wide area against Elche but could now go through the middle with Negredo, who has scored seven La Liga goals during a strong campaign for the 35-year-old.
Levante possible starting lineup:
Cardenas; Coke, Duarte, Rober, Clerc; De Frutos, Melero, Malsa, Bardhi; Morales, Roger
Cadiz possible starting lineup:
Gil; Martin, Fali, Lopez, Espino; Sobrino, Jose Mari, Jonsson, Izquierdo; Lozano, Negredo
We say: Levante 1-1 Cadiz
There is not an awful lot between these two teams in terms of quality, and each of their last three league meetings have finished level. Cadiz should be the more confident side heading into the contest considering their away form, but we have ultimately settled on a low-scoring draw here.
Top tip
Matt Law
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Levante win with a probability of 37.5%. A win for Cadiz had a probability of 35.8% and a draw had a probability of 26.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Levante win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.1%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.2%) and 2-0 (6.53%). The likeliest Cadiz win was 0-1 (9.82%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.69%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 5.2% likelihood.
