Valladolid vs Elche prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2022-11-04 15:15.
Two newly-promoted clubs clash as Real Valladolid host Elche, but this rivalry has more at stake than just three points, with the Castile-León side containing up to 12 players and coaches with recent links to Elche. This includes Valladolid boss Pacheta, who guided Elche to the top-flight in 2019/20, only for the club to replace him shortly after with Jorge Almirón – the manager he will square off against here.
Unbeaten at home in three (W2, D1), Valladolid will now be desperate to bounce back from a 2-0 defeat against Osasuna to cement their mid-table status. The size of this contest is not lost on midfielder Roque Mesa, who stated they’ll have to be at “200%” against Elche, and his comments are justifiable when considering three of Valladolid’s last four defeats arrived against other relegation-threatened sides in Girona, Cádiz and Espanyol, albeit all by a one-goal margin.
Mesa called Elche “wounded” but others might think they’re already dead in the water after a 1-0 defeat to ten-man Getafe last Monday stretched their winless La Liga (LL) run to 12 matches this term (D4, L8). Sitting rock bottom and having conceded a league-high 27 goals ahead of this round, Elche’s meagre four points means they rank as the worst team in Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues after 12 games played.
Pressure is already mounting on recently-returned coach Almirón, who made unwanted history by becoming the first manager to rack up 20 straight winless LL matches after that defeat. Remarking that his team are still “alive” in the fight for survival, Elche must now prove that with a victory and in turn get one over former Elche boss Pacheta.
Key battle: Valladolid top-scorer Sergio León, who played for Elche in 2015/16, carries the form to prove a point here having scored in consecutive home matches for the first time this season. Elche ‘keeper Édgar Badía will be charged with stopping him and putting points on the board as he searches for a first LL clean sheet since April!
Hot stat: Elche have scored four of their last six LL goals via headers with only Valencia scoring more this term (five).