Match Pack: Cádiz CF vs Athletic Club (LaLiga MD22)

After reaching a fifth Copa semi-final, Athletic Club will take on Cádiz CF at the Nuevo Mirandilla in what is their second away game in a row.

The Lions, in confident mood, will be looking to bounce back from last week's defeat to Valencia CF, a loss which brought our 10-match unbeaten run to an end.

The Andalusian outfit are desperate to pull away from the relegation zone and the player will be hoping to impress new boss Mauricio Pellegrino, who recently took over from Sergio González.

Match Info
Cádiz CF vs Athletic Club

Nuevo Mirandilla, Cadiz

LaLiga EA Sports 23/24 (Matchday 22)

Sunday January 28, 16:15 CET

How to Watch
A complete guide with kick-off times and LaLiga broadcasters around the world

Team News
Valverde named a 23-man squad for the trip to Andalusia.

Dani García is back after recovering from injury. Oscar de Marcos and Iñaki Williams both made returns to the side during Wednesday's Copa win over Barça.

Young midfielder Mikel Jauregizar also keeps his place in the squad.

Valverde's Comments
The boss wants to see Los Leones take the confidence from Wednesday's win into this match, but at the same time he urged his players to apply their full attention to Cádiz.

Catch up with what he had to say at his pre-match press conference.

The Opponents

Head coach: Mauricio Pellegrino

Fresh in the hot seat, the Argentine manager's task is to move Cádiz away from the relegation places and into safety.

A former centre-back who turned out for Velez Sarsfield, FC Barcelona, Valencia CF, Liverpool FC and Deportivo Alavés, Pellegrino moved into management in 2012, taking over at Valencia.

Since then he's led Estudiantes, Indepediente, Deportivo Alavés, Southampton FC, CD Leganés, Velez Sarsfield and Universidad de Chile.

His most successful spell came at Alavés, who he lead to the 2016/17 Copa del Rey final where they lost 3-1 to Valverde's Barça side.

Top goalscorer: Chris Ramos

The Cádiz-born striker and former Cádiz CF academy product has found his way back to his boyhood club after impressing in the lower leagues.

The 27-year-old forward signed from CD Lugo in the winter transfer window last season and has since become a vital player for the Andalusians.

So for this campaign, he has scored five times in 21 LaLiga appearances.

Recent form: DDLLL

It's been a tough campaign for Cádiz, who haven't tasted victory in LaLiga since a 3-1 over Villarreal in September.

In their most recent outing - Sergio Gónzalez's last match as head coach - they lost 1-0 away to Deportivo Alavés.

Previous Meetings
We've faced Cádiz CF 33 times in LaLiga EA Sports. The first meeting was a 6-1 victory for Athletic at San Mames in 1977/78.

In total Athletic have recorded 19 wins, six draws and eight losses against the Andalusian outift.

The Zurigorri have made 16 LaLiga trips to Cádiz, coming back with six victories, four draws and six losses.

Stretching all the way back to the 92/93 season, our five most recent matches in Cádiz have seen us pick up four wins and just one defeat.

The Lions produced a spectacular attacking performance as they demolished the Yellows 0-4 in last season's match at the Nuevo Mirandilla. Iñaki Williams kicked off proceedings while Gorka Guruzeta - with a brace - and Alex Berenguer completed the rout.