Preview: Cadiz vs. Levante - prediction, team news, lineups

In the first game of the La Liga campaign for both sides, Cadiz will play host to Levante on Saturday evening.

Despite an impressive showing last year, Levante eventually dropped to a slightly underwhelming 14th-placed finish, while their hosts leapfrogged them late in the season to finish 12th.

Match preview

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In their first La Liga appearance since 2006, Cadiz were impressive last season, finishing comfortably above the relegation zone by the end of the campaign.

Other than after a defeat to Osasuna on the opening day, Alvaro Cervera's men never sat in the bottom three, instead remaining in mid-table.

Their first half of the campaign was particularly impressive, as Los Piratas occupied a spot in the top eight in December, thanks in no small part to eye-catching wins over both Barcelona and defending champions Real Madrid.

While a disappointing run did follow, seeing Cevera's side drop to 15th spot, they would end the season in fairly impressive fashion, collecting 19 points from their final 13 games to rise to 12th place, finishing with an impressive tally of 44 points.

Los Piratas will have been more than content with that season, but their goal this campaign will again be to avoid the drop, rather than focussing overly on climbing the table at this stage, as they aim to establish themselves in Spain's top tier in the long term.

They begin with a tough clash against Levante, who will be out to improve on a mixed campaign last year.

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After a poor start to last season, Paco Lopez's men quickly put a strong run of results together to climb the league table.

As a result, Levante found themselves in a battle for eighth place, occupying the spot until the end of February, only for a draw with Athletic Bilbao and a defeat to Real Sociedad to send them down the pecking order.

Their season was ended with an eight-game winless run in La Liga, producing just three points, with a particular low point being a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Villarreal.

Following that poor end to the campaign, Lopez's men dropped as low as 14th spot given how tight the middle of the table was, having previously looked set for a finish in the top half.

Having shown their ability in the middle portion of the season, the Grantoes will be desperate for a more consistent campaign this time around, as they set their sights on a top-half finish.

Team News

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Cadiz come into the new season hugely hit by injuries, as Luismi Quezada, Jose Mari, Santiago Arzamendia and Jon Ander Garrido are all ruled out of the opening game.

Juan Cala is also a doubt, potentially leaving Marcos Mauro and Fali to partner up at the heart of the back four.

Victor Chust arrived on loan from Real Madrid to offer defensive cover, but he will likely deputise in case another of the centre-backs picks up an injury.

The line will be led by experienced forward Alvaro Negredo, who hit eight La Liga goals last season.

Paco Lopez has fewer injuries to deal with, with only Sergio Postigo and Alex Blesa ruled out of Saturday's game.

He should stick largely with the established side of last season, with the likes of Jorge de Frutos, Jose Campana and Roger Marti remaining crucial.

The key man could be attacker Jose Luis Morales, who netted 13 goals alongside four assists in league action last season, and needs to hit the net once more to take his tally to 50 career goals in La Liga.

Cadiz possible starting lineup:
Ledesma; Iza, Fali, Mauro, Espino; Jonsson, Alarcon; Sanchez, Fernandez, Perea; Negredo

Levante possible starting lineup:
Cardenas; Miramon, Vezo, Pier, Clerc; De Frutos, Campana, Radoja, Bardhi; Marti, Morales

We say: Cadiz 0-1 Levante

Cadiz did well to avoid the drop last year and will be keen to do the same this time around, thriving on their strong defensive record, but we see Levante having enough quality to kick the season off with a hard-fought win on Saturday.

While they eventually finished below their opponents, Levante were impressive for the majority of last season, and will be keen for a strong start as they go in search of a top-half finish this time around.