Barcelona vs Elche prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2022-09-16 14:15.
Bayern Munich once again proved to be an insurmountable hurdle for Barcelona, as two goals in the space of four second-half minutes condemned the Spanish giants to a 2-0 UEFA Champions League (UCL) defeat. Boss Xavi lamented his sideâs âlack of effectivenessâ, but a shot at immediate redemption awaits, with the Barça boss knowing a ninth-straight competitive win against Elche will temporarily lift them to the La Liga (LL) summit.
Despite that UCL defeat, the Catalans can take confidence from an impressive league start (W4, D1), with their four wins coming in the last four LL games. Each of those victories saw Barça score at least three goals, whilst conceding just one goal in total, perhaps highlighting how effective theyâve been in domestic action at least. Thatâs especially true in the latter stages of games, with eight of Barçaâs last 15 league goals coming beyond the hour mark.
Youâd have to rewind the clock to the 1960s for the last time Elche started a top-flight campaign with only a point after five games (D1, L4) but perhaps some unlikely solace is around the corner, as on one of those two previous occasions, their sixth game was a 1-1 draw against Barcelona! You would imagine the visitors would happily take a repeat, but having failed to score in three of their last five games, as well as six of the last seven competitive away H2Hs, itâs little surprise they head into this game as colossal underdogs.
After a group of fans stormed Elcheâs training on Tuesday demanding a reaction, the pressure is now on coach Francisco RodrĂguez to improve upon his previous H2H record against Xavi-managed Barcelona teams (L2). Securing a shock result would require instant improvement at both ends of the pitch given Elche have lost their last two away games by an aggregate 7-0 scoreline.
Key battle: Frenkie de Jong scored Barcelonaâs opener in the last LL match and has three career goal contributions (G1, A2) against Elche. He may prove to be a tricky customer for Elche âkeeper Ădgar BadĂa, who has conceded ten goals in four games against Barcelona.
Hot streak: Elche have conceded first in their last ten LL games.