Atl. Madrid vs Elche prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2022-12-28 20:30.
If Atlético Madrid boss Diego Simeone needed any inspiration to return his club to La Liga’s (LL) top four in his 12th season at the helm, surely recent silverware for the nation that he represented at three World Cups as a player will have him feeling inspired to reinstate his club to the top four after three disappointing LL results (D1, L2) to bottom-half opposition prior to the break.
Ahead of a crucial meeting with league leaders Barcelona and a transfer window in which he could finally lose star striker João Félix, there’s probably no club Simeone would rather face than last-placed Elche, not least because of his outstanding personal record (W9, D1, L0) against them. Having now completed seven LL games without a multiple goal victory, this looks a great opportunity for Atlético to snap that streak and add further to the eight racked up from their ten consecutive LL H2H wins.
Pablo MachĂn will make his long awaited return to LL after being tasked by the Elche hierarchy in November with erasing the eight-point gap from safety that has been established courtesy of the second-worst 14-round start by any club in LL history. It will be the fourth club MachĂn has managed in a LL game against Simeone’s AtlĂ©tico, and he has previously demonstrated the guise to snatch a point with a personal H2H record of D3, L2.
MachĂn’s Elche debut was a comfortable 3-0 Cup victory at CD Guadalajara, but it came at a cost. Winger Josan Ferrández, who was to become a key winger under MachĂn, joined a growing injury list that he lamented during the week as more “bad luck” and a setback to his plans to add to Elche’s meagre average of 0.71 goals per LL game this season.
Players to watch: The aforementioned Félix found the net after the 75th minute in two of Atlético’s last three LL games, whilst Ezequiel Ponce scored in Elche’s two cup wins since the previous LL round.
Hot stat: Elche conceded after the half-time break in all but one of their last nine LL matches (D3, L6).