Real Madrid will endeavour to get their La Liga title charge back on track when they travel to Cadiz for Wednesday night's fixture.
Both teams played out goalless stalemates in their most recent games, with Cadiz and Celta Vigo cancelling each other out while Los Blancos could not find a way past Getafe.
Match preview
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After claiming back-to-back wins in La Liga for the first time this season before the visit of Celta Vigo, Cadiz could have been forgiven for feeling optimistic about their chances of a nine-point haul from their last three fixtures.
However, Alvaro Cervera's side could not follow up wins against Valencia and Getafe at the weekend as they settled for a 0-0 against their fellow mid-table outfit, but that point could go a long way in securing another stint in the big time for the newly-promoted side.
Indeed, Cadiz are sitting comfortably in 13th with seven games left to play and are nine clear of the relegation zone, so if performances continue in the same vein for the remainder of the campaign, they will be assured of a place among the big boys for the 2021-22 season.
Cervera's side have only lost one of their last six games in La Liga following their miserable spell between January and March, and given the packed nature of the league table, a top-half finish is not entirely out of the question for the improving Cadiz.
The hosts have also taken seven points from their last three home matches - conceding just once in that time - so while the signs are overwhelmingly positive for Cervera and co, it would be somewhat of a surprise not to see Real Madrid bring them crashing back down to earth in midweek.
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Title-chasing Real Madrid also played out a momentum-killing goalless draw in gameweek 31, as the injury-plagued champions were indebted to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in a 0-0 stalemate with Getafe on Sunday night.
Despite missing out on the chance to close the gap to Atletico Madrid to a solitary point, Zinedine Zidane has refused to give up hope as Los Blancos seek to retain their title, but the depleted champions could have easily lost on another day and are not guaranteed an easy three points at newly-promoted Cadiz.
On a positive note, Real have now strung together a 15-game unbeaten run across all competitions - although the small matter of a Champions League semi-final with Chelsea could threaten to end that impressive streak - and they would temporarily move level on points with Atletico should they prevail on Wednesday.
Furthermore, Real Madrid travel to Estadio Ramon de Carranza boasting the best away record in the top flight - with only one of their 16 league games on the road so far ending in defeat - and during their 11-game unbeaten run away from home, no team has managed to breach Zidane's defence more than once.
However, Los Blancos will still have nightmares of their most recent clash with Cadiz, where an Antony Lozano winner propelled the newly-promoted outfit to a 1-0 triumph, and another slip-up against Cervera's men could have severe consequences for Zidane's beleaguered crop in the battle for Spanish supremacy.
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Team News
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Cadiz defender Juan Cala - recently cleared of racially abusing Valencia's Mouctar Diakhaby - missed out the draw with Celta Vigo due to muscular discomfort and remains a major doubt for the visit of the champions.
However, it would be harsh to drop Fali or Marcos Mauro after they played their part in a clean sheet against Celta Vigo, and Cala could be joined on the sidelines by Alex Fernandez, who is also experiencing discomfort.
Alberto Perea has already been ruled out of the encounter due to a muscular issue, but wholesale changes to Cervera's teamsheet would be met with raised eyebrows amid their strong run.
Two integral members of the Real Madrid squad in Nacho Fernandez and Casemiro return from suspension for this tie, meaning that Victor Chust and Isco are likely to drop out of the first XI.
Zidane has revealed that Eden Hazard is "ready" to take to the field again, but it would be a shock to see the former Chelsea man risked before the Champions League semis.
Meanwhile, Raphael Varane has returned to training after recovering from coronavirus and could play a part.
However, the same cannot be said for Sergio Ramos, Lucas Vazquez, Dani Carvajal or Ferland Mendy, while Federico Valverde is self-isolating after coming into close contact with a COVID-positive individual.
Cadiz possible starting lineup:
Ledesma; Carcelen, Mauro, Fali, Espino; Malbasic, Mari, Jonsson, Izquierdo; Negredo, Sobrino
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Nacho, Militao, Varane, Marcelo; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric; Asensio, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
We say: Cadiz 0-2 Real Madrid
Cadiz, with their fond memories of facing the champions and newfound defensive resilience, can certainly trouble a Real Madrid team constantly bedevilled by a lengthy absentee list.
However, any more points dropped could signal the beginning of the end of Real's title charge, and Zidane has more options to work with this week, so we expect the champions to return to winning ways in straightforward fashion.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
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 Real Madrid win with a probability of 72.89%. A draw had a probability of 17.5% and a win for Cadiz had a probability of 9.58%.
The most likely scoreline for a Real Madrid win was 0-2 with a probability of 13.94%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (12.65%) and 0-3 (10.23%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.28%), while for a Cadiz win it was 1-0 (3.76%). The actual scoreline of 0-3 was predicted with a 10.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Real Madrid would win this match.
