Elche vs Osasuna match preview and predictions for Tuesday’s LaLiga match. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as two struggling teams clash.
- DATE: Tuesday 22nd December 2020
- KICK-OFF: 17:30 (local time)
- VENUE: El Sadar
- COMPETITION: LaLiga
Elche vs Osasuna Preview
There’s a significant game in the relegation battle this Tuesday at the Martinez Valero. 16th placed Elche remain the favourites for the drop despite a better start to the season than many were expecting. They have reason to fancy this though against an Osasuna side that is woefully out of form and currently props up the table.
Elche’s current form is only marginally better. They’ve gone 7 without a win since beating regional rivals Valencia 2-1 but they have picked up 4 draws during that period. The suspicion is that they are just a bit short on quality throughout the team and that as we head deeper into the winter, Elche are going to slide into the bottom three. That makes it vital that they take advantage of rare opportunities to pick up three points such as this.
Their main issue seems to be an inability to create chances and score goals. They’ve adopted quite a cautious approach with Lucas Boye their solitary striker. While he has done okay so far with 3 goals, he is not a player with the kind of prolific goalscoring record which suggests he could fire this team to safety and indeed failed to score a single league goal in 19 appearances last season at Reading in the English Championship.
Osasuna haven’t exactly been great in the final third either but in Ante Budimir they do at least have a player who you sense could turn into the focal point for their attack. This has turned quickly into the toughest period of Jagoba Arrasate’s time in charge at El Sadar with just one point from seven games heading into this and it’s 12 conceded in their last 4 which is a major worry for a team that does not score a lot of goals.
There isn’t any immediate pressure on Arrasate who has done a brilliant job at Osasuna. While only 42 years old, he is already quite an experienced coach with over 400 games in management under his belt, and the Osasuna boss will need to draw on all of that experience if he is going to turn the tide at this club.
Read all our La Liga previews here!
Head to Head
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 1 Elche Win, 2 Osasuna Wins, 3 Draws.
- The sides last met in the 2018/19 Segunda Division.
- Osasuna won 2-1 in Elche that season, while the sides drew 1-1 in Pamplona.
- 3 of the last 5 meetings have been drawn.
Team News
Diego González and Guido Carrillo are doubts for the home team who should go with Lucas Boye leading the line again.
Aridane Hernández is banned after seeing red last time out. Juan Cruz should be preferred to Inigo Perez at left-back.
Predicted Elche Starting Lineup:
Badia – Josema, Verdu, Gonzalez, Barragan – Milla, Marcone, Morente – Fidel, Boye, Josan (4-3-3)
Predicted Osasuna Starting Lineup:
Martinez – Cruz, D. Garcia, U. Garcia, Roncaglia – R. Garcia, Moncayola, Oier, Torres – Budimir, Calleri (4-4-2)
Elche vs Osasuna Predictions
Score Prediction: Elche 2-1 Osasuna
Neither of these teams convince currently. Overall Osasuna certainly have a bit more quality but things have fallen apart quite badly for them over the past few weeks. They don’t look particularly solid in the middle of the park, and Elche may have enough to take control of the midfield and potentially win the game.
Elche vs Osasuna Betting Tips (18+)
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