Three days since suffering their first defeat of the 2022/23 La Liga season, defending champions Real Madrid entertain relegation-battling Cadiz at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
It was long coming for Los Blancos. In the absence of standout performer Karim Benzema, Carlo Ancelotti’s men have flattered to deceive despite picking up some positive results.
A 3-2 loss to RB Leipzig in the penultimate Champions League group-stage round opened the floodgates, with an underwhelming 1-1 home draw with promoted Girona following up soon after.
Finally, 13 matchdays into the new La Liga campaign, Los Merengues slipped to their first league defeat on Monday evening as Rayo Vallecano toppled them 3-2 in a small local derby.
Having surrendered the top spot to arch-rivals Barcelona, they are now eager to restart and launch a new winning streak starting with Cadiz’s visit to the capital on Thursday.
No strangers to pulling off upsets themselves, the Yellow Submarine claimed a surprising 3-2 home victory over Atletico Madrid a fortnight ago before holding Getafe to a scoreless draw at the weekend.
Memories of their most recent top-flight visit to the Bernabeu are still fresh as Los Piratas eked out a goalless stalemate in this corresponding fixture last season despite facing 36 shots.
Coach Sergio Gonzalez wouldn’t mind another identical outcome, especially considering his side’s dreadful away form at the start of this La Liga season (W1, D2, L3).
Match Preview
Real Madrid
Madrid may be coming into this encounter as favourites, but all three points are far from a foregone conclusion, with Ancelotti’s team racking up just one win in their last four league H2Hs against Cadiz (D2, L1).
Yet playing out Thursday suits the record-time Spanish champions, as they’ve not lost any of their last 14 La Liga outings contested on this day (W12, D2), including a 6-0 demolition of Levante in Ancelotti’s only game in charge.
But there’s a piece of unwanted history on the cards. After going winless in their last two league matches, Madrid could go three consecutive top-flight fixtures without winning for the first time under Ancelotti.
Cadiz
While Los Merengues tend to thrive on Thursday, Cadiz have proved prone to rolling over, having lost four of their last six La Liga games played on this day (W1, D1).
However, Gonzalez’s men have consolidated their domestic form following a woeful start and will take the field on the back of an impressive run of just one defeat from their last eight league games.
There’s no doubt Cadiz would blindly sign up for a draw before the kick-off, but after losing on 29 of their last 37 visits to Madrid in La Liga (W1, D5), they’ll need to work their socks off to earn it.
Real Madrid vs Cadiz Potential Line-ups
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy; Luka Modric, Aurelien Tchouameni, Toni Kroos; Federico Valverde, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior.
Cadiz (4-4-2): Jeremias Ledesma; Iza Carcelen, Juan Cala, Jose Mari, Alfonso Espino; Brian Ocampo, Fede San Emeterio, Alex Fernandez, Theo Bongonda; Ruben Sobrino, Anthony Lozano.
How to Watch?
Real Madrid vs Cadiz, alongside all other Los Blancos’ fixtures, is available to watch online via live Real Madrid streaming.
Real Madrid vs Cadiz Prediction
Madrid cannot afford another slip-up against sub-par opposition if they’re to bolster their bid to win back-to-back La Liga titles for the first time since 2008.
Cadiz will be out to frustrate their hosts by ‘parking the bus’ as they did last season, but since lightning never strikes twice, it’s hard to see them fending off Los Blancos again.
We expect Ancelotti’s men to get back to winning ways, perhaps even in emphatic fashion.
Real Madrid 3-0 Cadiz
