Cadiz vs Athletic Bilbao

Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla sets the stage for a lopsided La Liga encounter between relegation-battling Cadiz and top-four hopefuls Athletic Bilbao.

Cadiz’s disastrous three-game losing start to the new calendar year, bookended by a dismal 1-0 loss at Deportivo Alaves last weekend, proved the end of the road for underperforming manager Sergio Gonzalez. It’s now up to new boss Mauricio Pellegrino to reinvigorate the stuttering Andalusian minnows as he bids to end Cadiz’s humiliating run of 17 consecutive winless games in La Liga (D8, L9) on his touchline debut. Stranded in the relegation zone, one point adrift of 17th-placed Sevilla, ‘El Submarino Amarillo’ can take confidence from returning 11 of their 15 La Liga points this season on home turf (W2, D5, L3). However, that’s merely a reason for cautious optimism, considering they slumped to a 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture, extending their losing streak against Bilbao to four matches.

In contrast to Cadiz’s dreadful spell of form, Athletic Bilbao will take the field in high spirits after overcoming Barcelona in midweek Copa del Rey action, courtesy of an enthralling 4-2 extra-time win. That was a perfect response to an underwhelming 1-0 loss to Valencia in the last La Liga round, which knocked them down from an outstanding ten-game unbeaten league run (W7, D3). Keen to prove it was just a one-off and consolidate their position in a fiercely-contested top-four battle, ‘Los Leones’ take this trip safe in the knowledge they’ve won their last three top-flight visits to Cadiz by a combined score of 11-2, notably netting 3+ goals on each occasion. Maintaining that run would solidify their effort to secure their first Champions League appearance since 2014/15.