The lowdown on Cádiz CF
Following a fabulous start to their Champions League campaign, Barça are back in Liga action on Saturday at 6.30pm CEST, where they have got off to a similarly brilliant start. Cádiz are their hosts, so let’s take a closer look at the Andalusian side.
Where are they from?
Cádiz is a city in the southwest corner of Spain, in Andalusia, and is one of the oldest continually inhabited places in the whole of Europe. Steeped with history, its location means it has always had a close connection with naval history and particularly the first explorations of Africa and the Americas.
Its Carnival celebrations are among the best known in the world. The people of Cádiz are famed throughout Spain for their friendliness and open sense of humour, and for having one of the hardest accents for outsiders to understand!
History
Formed in 1910, the club didn’t play any first division football until 1977 but went on to spend the best part of a decade and a half at the elite level, albeit never finishing any higher than twelfth. That golden era ended in 1993 and after only spending one further season, 2005/06, in LaLiga and going straight back down afterwards, they finally returned in 2020, and this time have managed to hold onto their place.
The Stadium
Cadiz have played at the same venue since 1955 (with a game against FC Barcelona). However, between 2003 and 2012, the entire structure was replaced in phases, and what is effectively a brand new stadium now holds 20,724.
Although the stadium has always been known as the Estadio Ramón de Carranza, in June of this year it was announced that in application of the Law on Historical Memory, it would have to be renamed due to the association between Ramón de Carranza, the former mayor of Cadiz, and the fascist regime. Following a vote among club members, the new name is the Nuevo Mirandilla, after the ground where the club formerly played between 1933 and 1955
Form guide
Cádiz managed to scape relegation of the very last day of last season, and their early results in 2022/23 suggest another tough year ahead.
In four games played so far (against Real, Sociedad, Osasuna, Athletic Club and Celta) not only have they lost each time, but they have not scored a single goal in the process. Not surprisingly, that's their worst ever start to a league season and it means they are currently rooted to the very bottom of the league table.
Head-to-head
As is probably only to be expected, Barça have traditionally dominated the 28 meetings between the sides over the years. Following just their second defeat in the fixture, a 4-0 win for Cádiz in 1991 when the Catalans were taking things easy having already won the title, Barça beat the Andalusians ten times in a row. Then things all went horribly wrong...
Last five meetings (all in La Liga)
2006-04-29 Barça 1-0 Cádiz
2020-12-05 Cádiz 2-1 Barça
2021-02-21 Barça 1-1 Cádiz
2021-09-23 Cádiz 0-0 Barça
2022-04-18 Barça 0-1 Cádiz
Two seasons ago, Barça not only suffered defeat at the Nuevo Mirandilla, but were also held to a 0-0 draw at home.
And last season, the horror stories continued. After holding Barça to a 0-0 draw at home, Cádiz then got their first ever win at the Camp Nou. It's Barça's worst ever run against the side, and a record that can hopefully be set straight on Saturday.
The players
International caps
Anthony Lozano (Honduras, 39), Awer Mabil (Australia, 28), Álvaro Negredo (Spain, 21); Santiago Arzamendia (Paraguay, 20); Tomás Alarcón (Chile, 9); Théo Bongonda (DR Congo, 3), Brian Ocampo (Uruguay, 1)
Barça connections
Central defender Fali spent a period on loan to Barça B while on the books at Gimnastic Tarragona.
Barcelona-born midfielder Rubén Alcaraz spent three years of his youth at La Masia, and joined Cádiz from Valladolid in the summer.
Honduran striker Anthony ‘Choco’ Lozano was at Barça B in the 2017/18 season, playing 20 games and scoring 4 goals before leaving for Girona.
The boss
Sergio González replaced Alvaro Cervera as manager in January of this year. The Catalan was a hard-working midfielder at Espanyol and Deportivo in the noughties, also winning 11 caps for Spain.
He then went into management at Espanyol, eventually being put in charge of the first team, and after that spent three seasons at the helm of Real Valladolid.