Two teams battling to remain in La Liga will lock horns on Saturday afternoon, with 19th-placed Almeria welcoming 16th-placed Cadiz to Power Horse Stadium.
Almeria will enter the contest off the back of a 2-1 defeat at Sevilla, while Cadiz drew 2-2 with fellow strugglers Getafe in their last match in Spain's top flight.
Match preview
© Reuters
Almeria were promoted back to this level courtesy of their Segunda Division triumph last term, so any position above 18th would be seen as a successful campaign, with the club looking to consolidate in the top flight.
La Union have picked up 25 points from their 25 league matches this season, which has left them in 19th position in the table, just one point behind 17th-placed Valencia.
Incredibly, there are only three points separating 13th-placed Sevilla from Almeria in 19th, which is an indication of how quickly things could change with a couple of positive results in quick succession.
Rubi's side will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Sevilla, but they did manage to record a morale-boosting 1-0 success over Barcelona in front of their own supporters at the end of February.
Almeria have been strong at Power Horse Stadium this season, picking up 22 points from 13 matches, which is the fourth-best record in the division, and they will be welcoming a Cadiz outfit that have only managed to win two of their away 12 league games during the 2022-23 campaign.
© Reuters
Cadiz, meanwhile, will enter the match off the back of a 2-2 draw with Getafe on March 10; the Yellow Submarine were actually leading 2-1 until the 16th minute of added time at the end of the 90, when Enes Unal scored his second penalty of the match to level the scores in extraordinary circumstances.
The result has left Sergio Gonzalez's side in 16th position in the table on 27 points, just one point outside of the relegation zone heading into the next set of fixtures.
Cadiz have only lost one of their last five league matches, with the defeat in question coming away to Barcelona, and their home form has been excellent of late, going unbeaten since the start of September, which is a run that stretches back 10 matches.
El Submarino Amarillo, as mentioned, have found it more difficult on their travels, only picking up nine points, which has been a large contributor to their relegation fears.
Cadiz played out a 1-1 draw with Almeria in the reverse league game earlier this season, but they have won three of their last five league fixtures against Saturday's opponents.
Team News
© Reuters
Almeria will be without the services of Sergio Akieme this weekend due to the yellow card that the defender picked up in the clash with Sevilla last time out.
Cesar de la Hoz will be available after serving a suspension of his own, but Gonzalo Melero remains on the sidelines through injury and could be joined by El Bilal Toure, who was forced off in the early stages of the team's clash with Jorge Sampaoli's side.
Alex Centelles and Largie Ramazani are expected to come into the starting XI on Saturday, with Luis Suarez set to move into a central position for the home side.
As for Cadiz, Iza Carcelen is suspended following his red card against Getafe last time out, while Fali is also banned due to the yellow card that he picked up in the same match.
The visitors also still have a number of injury problems, with Youba Diarra, Brian Ocampo, Cala, Jon Ander Garrido and Joseba Zaldua set to miss the contest.
The team's defensive problems could lead to Jorge Mere coming in for a rare start, while Santiago Arzamendia is also expected to feature at the back for the visitors this weekend.
Almeria possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Chumi, Ely, Babic, Centelles; De la Hoz, Robertone; Pozo, Puigmal, Ramazani; Suarez
Cadiz possible starting lineup:
Ledesma; Arzamendia, Hernandez, Mere, Espino; Bongonda, Escalante, Alcaraz, Sobrino; Guardiola, Roger
We say: Almeria 1-1 Cadiz
Almeria have been impressive in front of their own fans this season, while Cadiz have suffered defeats in seven of their 12 league games on their travels. Cadiz are not losing many games at the moment, though, and we are backing the visitors to secure a share of the spoils on Saturday afternoon.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
