La Liga: Barcelona Look to Extend Winning Run Against Elche

Barcelona vs Elche CF

Barcelona’s unbeaten start to this season came to a screeching halt in midweek as they were humbled by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

But Xavi’s side – currently in second place in the La Liga standings – still have a domestic winning streak going, one that they will expect to extend to five games when they host second-from-bottom Elche this weekend.

Elche, who were the surprises of last season, are struggling mightily this year and have just one point from their first five games. And the La Liga 2022 betting odds will be overwhelmingly against them at the Camp Nou as they take on Barca, whom they haven’t beaten in nearly 50 years.

Talking Points

Barcelona aim to bounce back from Bayern setback

Barcelona’s immense struggles against Bayern Munich continued as they suffered a 2-0 defeat away to the German champions in the Champions League.

Barca were arguably the superior side and created the better chances, but they couldn’t convert their opportunities while Bayern were more clinical in front of goal.

Robert Lewandowski, who was in the spotlight as he faced off against his old club, had a subpar game by his incredibly high standards as he was guilty of squandering several opportunities. Only two of his seven shots ended up on target as his five-game scoring run finally came to an end.

Lewandowski will surely be out to redeem himself in La Liga, where he has scored a league-leading six goals and provided two assists in his first five appearances.

Meanwhile, Xavi could opt to shuffle up his side after their midweek disappointment. Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele started on the wings against Bayern, but the likes of Ansu Fati – who scored last time out in their 4-0 victory over Cadiz – and Ferran Torres will be pushing for a start.

Similarly, Frenkie de Jong and Franck Kessie, who both came on as substitutes against Bayern, will be hoping to come in and replace captain Sergio Busquets as the holding midfielder.

Elche in the midst of extended winless run

After an impressive 13th-placed finish last season – amid several coaching changes – Elche look like they will be back in a relegation scrap this year. Francisco’s side have started the season in disastrous form with four defeats in their first five games, which sees them second from bottom with just one point.

They and bottom side Cadiz are the only clubs left in La Liga who have yet to win a game this season.

Francisco, who guided Elche to the midtable upon his arrival last November, is under increasing pressure amid his longest winless run in charge of the club (five games).

Elche are coming off back-to-back heavy defeats to Villarreal (4-0) and Athletic Bilbao (1-4). They were four goals down by half-time against Athletic in what was a humiliating showing in front of their home fans.

Elche have now conceded 13 goals in five games this season while scoring just two goals, both the second-worst behind Cadiz.

Forwards Pere Milla and Lucas Boye, who were both instrumental in Elche’s success last season – they had 15 goals and six assists combined – have yet to provide any La Liga 2022 highlights. Granted, the two have started just two games apiece thus far, and they started at the same time for the first time against Athletic.

Meanwhile, veteran midfielder Javier Pastore – formerly of Paris Saint-Germain and Roma – has only played five minutes this season amid his continuing injury concerns.

History

Barcelona’s record against Elche is as one-sided as it gets. The Catalans have unbeaten in their last 19 matches against Elche and have won each of their last nine meetings in all competitions.

Unsurprisingly, Barca have been dominant at the Camp Nou, where they’ve scored at least three goals in their last five home matches against Elche in all competitions.

Although, Elche did give Barca a bit of a scare as they came back from two goals down last season. But Nico Gonzalez got a late winner to give Barca a 3-2 home victory. And Barca again needed a late winner, this time from a Memphis Depay penalty, to beat Elche 2-1.

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP odds for this second-vs-second-from-bottom showdown are astounding. Barcelona are installed as massive 1.094 favourites to beat Elche, who are astronomical 29.00 underdogs to pull off the upset. A draw is 8.25.

Clearly, based on recent form as well as history, Barca should beat Elche quite handily at home. The only question is by how much they will win.

With the bitter taste of their defeat to Bayern still fresh in their mouths, look for Barca to deliver a heavy beatdown on struggling Elche.

 

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