Real Sociedad vs Cadiz Preview

La Liga resumes this Friday with Real Sociedad playing host to Cadiz in the curtain raiser of Round 29.

Sociedad put the disappointment of crashing out of the UEFA Champions League behind them at the weekend when they beat Granada 3-2 away from home. That win ended a run of four straight defeats in all competitions for the Andalusian club.

However, they remain a long way off their goal this season with the hosts trailing fourth-placed Atlético Madrid by 12 points with ten games left to play. Worse still, they’re not assured of any European football next season after finishing the previous round just one point ahead of seventh-place Betis.

After beating fellow relegation candidates Granada last time, Sociedad will fancy their chances of winning their first home La Liga game since late November with the majority of their five consecutive games without a victory (D3, L2) coming against bottom-half opposition.

Cadiz will be desperate to record back-to-back wins for the first time this season when they travel to San Sebastian on Friday. The visitors recorded a huge scalp last time beating Atlético Madrid 2-0 at home.

That win was their first victory over a club beginning this round in the top half of the competition (D5, L9). It was also the first win for new coach Mauricio Pellegrino (D4, L2), who accepted it as vindication for the change of manager and asserted that “the team is growing” but “needed a positive stimulus” to confirm it.

They are still two points from safety though so Pellegrino knows he cannot relax just yet. His side’s survival probably depends on lifting their productivity away from home as they continue to lament a winless La Liga away record (D6, L8).

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Spanish Primera Liga:

Spanish Primera Liga Table