Celta Vigo vs Elche match preview and predictions for Friday’s LaLiga match. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as two out of form teams meet.
- DATE: Friday 12th February 2021
- KICK-OFF: 21:00 (local time)
- STADIUM: Balaidos
- COMPETITION: LaLiga
Celta Vigo vs Elche Preview
The Friday night game in LaLiga comes from Balaidos and it’s a significant one for the two teams who are currently both struggling to put wins on the board. Celta Vigo will be the firm favourites as they look to close in on the European places.
Celta have gone 6 without a win in LaLiga after their great start to life under Chacho Coudet. However they have drawn their last 3, including an excellent point at the Wanda Metropolitano on Monday. That suggests a corner may have been turned and clearly it’s no coincidence that Iago Aspas’ return to fitness has helped spark that recovery, even though Celta’s leading scorer and creator of goals, is yet to find the net in 2021.
There’s a good chance that will change here. Celta need to win this game if they are going to kick on and push for European football. While a top six finish may be just beyond them, 7th place currently looks wide open and that will be good enough for European football if a top six club wins the Copa del Rey.
17th place would certainly do as far as Elche are concerned. That’s where they would move were they to win this game but having gone 15 without victory in LaLiga, it’s difficult to fancy them. They did get a decent point last time out as they fought back from 2-0 down to draw at home to Villarreal and that should give them a real boost in confidence heading into this.
However unless they start turning a few draws into wins, they really are going to find it all but impossible to even compete to stay in this league. They’ve had a few bright sparks with Josan, Lucas Boye and Fidel all chipping in with 4 goals this season but overall they are the least creative team in LaLiga with only just over 13 xG from 20 games, by far the lowest tally in the division.
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Head to Head
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 2 Celta Wins, 2 Elche Wins, 2 Draws.
- The reverse fixture ended 1-1 in Elche in November.
- Neither side has scored more than once in any of the last 5 meetings.
- The last time that happened, Celta won 2-0 against an Elche side that was reduced to just 7 men in a Segunda game in February 2012!
Team News
Celta could name an unchanged XI from the Wanda Metropolitano although Facundo Ferreyra, who came off the bench to score a debut goal, is pushing for a start.
Joint top scorer Fidel is missing through injury for Elche. Antonio Barragan and Gonzalo Verdu are available following bans.
Predicted Celta Vigo Starting Lineup:
Blanco – Martin, Murillo, Araujo, Mallo – Tapia – Nolito, Mendez, Suarez – Aspas, Mina (4-1-3-2)
Predicted Elche Starting Lineup:
Badia – Mojica, Verdu, Gonzalez, Barragan – Rigoni, Marcone, Guti, Josan – Carrillo, Boye (4-4-2)
Celta Vigo vs Elche Predictions
Score Prediction: Celta Vigo 3-1 Elche
This is a good opportunity for Celta to get back on track and start building some confidence again. They were playing some excellent football in those first few weeks under Coudet and with all of their best attacking players available here, they should have too much quality for a limited Elche side.
Celta Vigo vs Elche Betting Tips (18+)
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