Barcelona vs Elche match preview and predictions for Wednesday’s LaLiga match. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as the Catalans host newly promoted opposition again.
- DATE: Wednesday February 24th 2021
- KICK-OFF: 19:00 (local time)
- STADIUM: Camp Nou
- COMPETITION: LaLiga
Barcelona vs Elche Preview
There is LaLiga action this Wednesday at Camp Nou, a week on from fresh Champions League disappointment against PSG. They’ve suffered another blow since then, and nothing short of three points will do here against an Elche side that has recently made a coaching switch.
Barcelona’s latest setback came in the form of a 1-1 home draw against Cadiz at the weekend. Just when it looked as though Atleti’s Saturday defeat had thrust the Catalans right back into the title race, they went and failed to take advantage with Alex Fernandez’s late penalty ensuring the newly promoted side left with a point.
That’s 5 points dropped against Cadiz this term – the difference between a 3 and 8 point deficit on top spot. To be fair to Ronald Koeman’s side, their league form and indeed many performances had been good until that match with 7 straight league victories heading into it. However there is now an acceptance that this Barcelona side is still very much a work in progress and that there is always seemingly a poor result around the corner.
Elche won’t exactly travel to Camp Nou full of belief but they will be more optimistic than they might have been a fortnight ago. Fran Escriba is back at the helm and it was a happy homecoming as Elche claimed their first win since October at the weekend, beating Eibar 1-0 at the Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero.
The side from the Valencian region would climb all the way up to 15th were they to claim an unlikely win here. That’s very hard to see but they will see this as something of a free hit although they really struggled to land any serious blows on a weakened Barcelona side when the sides met last month in the reverse fixture.
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Head to Head
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 5 Barcelona Wins, 1 Draw.
- Barcelona won 2-0 in Elche only last month.
- Elche have been beaten to nil on their 3 visits to Camp Nou this century with Fran Escriba in charge for all of those games.
- The most recent was a 5-0 Copa del Rey defeat in January 2015.
Team News
There are no fresh injury problems for the hosts but some rotation is expected from the weekend game.
Ivan Marcone is suspended for Elche. Fidel and Diego González are rated doubtful.
Predicted Barcelona Starting Lineup:
Ter Stegen – Firpo, Umtiti, Pique, Mingueza – De Jong, Busquets, Puig – Dembele, Messi, Trincao (4-3-3)
Predicted Elche Starting Lineup:
Badia – Mojica, Verdu, Calvo, Barragan – Rigoni, Mfulu, Morente, Guti, Josan – Boye (4-5-1)
Barcelona vs Elche Predictions
Score Prediction: Barcelona 2-0 Elche
Elche may benefit from something of a new manager bounce and belief in their camp should have been boosted considerably by that much needed weekend win. However they are short on attacking quality and are unlikely to be able to expose Barcelona’s flaws in the way some teams have done. It ought to be a relatively routine win for the hosts.
Barcelona vs Elche Betting Tips (18+)
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