The Matchday 27 La Liga clash between Villarreal vs Elche will take place on 8 March at the Estadio de la Ceramica. Villarreal vs Elche: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Villarreal
A week ago, Villarreal were unable to contain Barcelona at Camp Nou (1:4). That result ended a short two-match winning run in the Primera Division, and it also saw the club drop back behind Atletico Madrid into third place in the standings. The battle for third is extremely tight, with the Castellon outfit currently trailing their rivals solely on tiebreakers. It is also worth noting that the home team have scored in each of their last six league matches, while across the last 11 rounds Villarreal have kept just one clean sheet.
- Since the start of the current La Liga season, the Valencian side have scored 48 goals in total, with only Real Madrid (56) and Barcelona (71) finding the net more often.
- The club’s no-draw run in this competition now stands at five matches (three wins, two defeats).
- Five of Villarreal’s last six league games have gone over the totals line.
Potential Villarreal Lineup (4-4-2)*
Luis Junior – Santiago Mourino, Renato Veiga, Pau Navarro, Sergi Cardona – Alberto Moleiro, Santiago Comesana, Pape Gueye, Nicolas Pepe – Ayoze Perez, Georges Mikautadze.
Due to injuries, the home team will be without defenders Juan Foyth and Logan Costa, as well as forwards Ayoze Perez and Pau Cabanes. The involvement of defender Willy Kambwala is in doubt.
Elche
Elche’s last La Liga match ended in a hard-fought draw with Espanyol (2:2). The away side fell behind twice, but ultimately snatched a point thanks to a 90th-minute penalty. The team avoided a fifth defeat in their last six league matches, yet their winless run in this competition has now stretched to nine games (four draws, five losses). Notably, both teams scored in eight of those nine fixtures. The club remain in a precarious 17th place in the table, with their advantage over the relegation zone just two points.
- Elche have scored in 11 of their last 12 league matches.
- In away matches this La Liga season, the team have collected four points – the worst tally in the competition.
- The club have conceded in 12 straight away games in the Spanish league.
Potential Elche Lineup (3-5-2)*
Matias Dituro – Pedro Bigas, Leo Petro, David Affengruber – German Valera, Tete Morente, Lucas Cepeda, Marc Aguado, Aleix Febas – Rafa Mir, Andre Silva.
Midfielder Iago Santiago is suspended. Defender Hector Fort is unavailable due to injury.
Villarreal vs Elche: Match Prediction
Villarreal lost their most recent league match, but that came away to leaders Barcelona. Now the Castellon outfit are regarded as clear favourites, and in that role they have been close to flawless. At home in La Liga this season, the team have dropped points only against sides from the upper part of the table. Including last season’s Primera Division campaign, the hosts have won 14 of their last 17 home league matches.
Elche are trying to pick up points to avoid slipping into the relegation zone, but the club’s winless run in the Spanish league has already reached nine matches (four draws, five defeats). Away from home, things have been particularly tough: by total points won, Elche sit 20th in La Liga (four points). Since October, the visitors have recorded eight defeats and one draw in their last nine away league matches.
Prediction: Villarreal to win
* For each team, the starting XI from their previous match in this competition is listed.
