Valencia vs Elche prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2026-01-09 20:00.
[p]Two sides defeated in their opening games of 2026 will meet on Saturday as relegation-threatened Valencia host Elche.[/p]
[p]Match News and Current Form[/p]
[p]Valencia missed an early penalty before losing 4-1 away at Celta Vigo last Saturday to take their current La Liga run to just one victory from their last 13 games (D6, L6). With only three league wins all season and the second-worst defensive record in the division, Carlos Corberán’s side are in all sorts of trouble as they begin this gameweek in the relegation zone. Their home form appears to offer their best chance of survival as all three of Valencia’s La Liga victories have come at the Mestalla and this outing will see them target a fifth successive home league game without defeat (W1, D3).[/p]
[p]After ending 2025 with a 4-0 thrashing of Rayo Vallecano, Elche were brought back down to earth in the new year when they lost 3-1 at home to Villarreal last weekend. Despite that result, the Franjiverdes hold their largest points tally at this stage of the season of any of their last six top-flight campaigns. They start this round in ninth place, equidistant from the relegation and European places in terms of points, although their away form resembles that of a side in the drop zone. Elche remain without a win on the road in any of their eight league games this season (D3, L5), losing their last five, including three by a 3-1 margin.[/p]
[p]Head-to-Head History[/p]
[p]Valencia have a dominant La Liga record against Elche, losing just one of their 24 home games (W16, D7) and dropping points in only two of the last nine league meetings (W7, D1, L1) at any venue.[/p]
[p]Hot Stats and Streaks[/p]
[p]Only Elche (32) and Barcelona (28) have received fewer La Liga yellow cards than Valencia (34) this season.[/p]
[p]Valencia scored exactly one goal in each of their last seven league fixtures.[/p]
[p]Elche scored 0-1 goals in seven of their eight La Liga away games this season.[/p]
[p]Five of Elche’s last eight league matches contained exactly four match goals.[/p]
[p]Key Players to Watch and Missing Players[/p]
[p]Thierry Correia has collected either an assist or a booking in the second half of each of Valencia’s last three home games. Martim Neto is targeting a goal for a third successive La Liga game, although only two of his six competitive goal contributions this season (G3, A3) came in away matches.[/p]
[p]Hugo Duro is suspended for Valencia, while Mouctar Diakhaby and Julen Agirrezabala both have injuries. Elche have no availability issues.[/p]
[p]For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.[/p]
[p]Betting Analysis[/p]
[p]Backing Valencia to score exactly one goal for an eighth successive league fixture looks like a smart bet.[/p]
[p][i]Author: Tom Penn[/i][/p]