Elche vs Villarreal prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-02-03 15:15.
The whopping 95.4% chance of relegation that prediction analysts Opta placed on Elche after the World Cup has not improved, with La Liga’s (LL) basement boys failing to win any of their five league games since (D2, L3). Their latest defeat came at the hands of fellow relegation contenders Sevilla (3-0), which has seen another rival pull further away whilst Elche continue to endure their winless LL season (D6, L13).
Things are looking increasingly miserable for the side who have scored the fewest goals at home in the division (five) and conceded the joint-most (15), despite managing a 1-1 draw vs Osasuna in their last LL home fixture. But with a trip to reigning LL champions Real Madrid directly following this contest against Villarreal, they’ll do very well in the next fortnight to avoid slipping even further towards their first top flight relegation since 2014/15.
A repeat of their 1-0 victory over Villarreal here last season would suffice, but those hopes appear slim with the top-four aspirants having lost only once in their last six LL fixtures (W4, D1), though that did arrive in their last outing (1-0 v Vallecano). That loss was a stain on the Yellow Submarine’s strong form which led to manager Quique Setién stating that his side “lacked finesse in our play”.
They’ve been masters of the more physical side of the game however, with only Barcelona conceding less LL away goals ahead of this round, so they probably wouldn’t mind a repeat of matchday 19 which saw just 15 goals – the lowest since matchday 8 in 2021/22. A lack of action at the other end could be an issue though, as Villarreal have managed only two goals in their last eight LL away outings!
Key battle: Having let in at least ten more goals than any other goalkeeper in the division this season (39) whilst keeping no clean sheets, Elche will hope for an upturn in form from ‘keeper Édgar Badía. He might not be happy to see Villarreal forward Gerard Moreno though, as Moreno has put three goals past him from their last three meetings (W1, D1, L1).
Hot stat: No side has conceded more home LL goals in the opening 15 minutes than Elche ahead of the round (four).