Elche vs Sevilla Match Preview & Predictions

Elche vs Sevilla match preview and predictions for Saturday’s LaLiga match. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as the visitors look to bounce back from cup disappointment.

Elche vs Sevilla Preview

The afternoon game on Saturday comes from Elche where the home team are bidding to cause an upset against a Sevilla side that will be licking their wounds after a bad week in the cup. Fran Escriba’s Elche will be hoping to cause an upset and three points would be enough to lift them out of the drop-zone.

Overall, the general consensus is and has been for most of the season, that Elche have the weakest squad in LaLiga and are most likely heading for an immediate return to the Segunda Division. However as we head towards the final ten games with Elche very much still in touch with a host of teams at the bottom, their cause is by no means a hopeless one.

They are only a point off 16th placed Eibar heading into the weekend. The Basque minnows were defeated at the Estadio Martínez Valero in Elche’s first game back under the guidance of Fran Escriba and while they have lost both games since then, those were tricky away fixtures against Barcelona and Granada. Back on home soil they may just sense an opportunity here.

That’s largely because this Sevilla side has suffered a couple of major blows at the hands of Barcelona over the past week. A 2-0 loss in LaLiga last weekend effectively ended what was just starting to look like a possible title challenge. They then saw their Copa del Rey dreams also go up in smoke on Wednesday night in the Catalan capital. Via a combination of a missed penalty from Lucas Ocampos and a dramatic Stoppage Time goal from Gerard Pique, they ultimately saw their 2-0 1st Leg lead wiped out as Barca came back to win 3-2 on aggregate.

With a trip to Dortmund to come on Tuesday, Julen Lopetegui may feel as though he has no choice but to rest players here. While it’s unlikely that Sevilla will fight back in that tie, it’s not completely dead with the Germans 3-2 up from the 1st Leg. They may no longer be serious title contenders, if they ever were, but Sevilla look very secure in the top four and can probably afford to take a chance here by rotating their team against limited opponents.

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? #ElcheSevilla ?⬜️ pic.twitter.com/yIUVGvUdQD

— Elche Club de Fútbol ? (@elchecf) March 4, 2021

Head to Head

• Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 4 Sevilla Wins, 2 Draws.
• Sevilla have won all of the last 3 meetings.
• They were 3-0 winners the last time the sides met – at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan in March 2015.
• This is the first meeting this season with the rearranged reverse fixture coming up shortly too in Seville.

Team News

Emiliano Rigoni is the only definite injury absentee for Elche.

Sevilla still have a doubt over Bono so Tomas Vaclik may continue in goal. They are expected to rotate after going to Extra Time in the Copa del Rey.

Predicted Elche Starting Lineup:

Badia – Mojica, Verdu, Calvo, Barragan – Fidel, Guti, Marcone, Morente – Boye, Carrillo (4-4-2)

Predicted Sevilla Starting Lineup:

Vaclik – Escudero, Gomez, Kounde, Navas – Rakitic, Gudelj, Oliver – Ocampos, De Jong, Munir (4-3-3)

Elche vs Sevilla Predictions

LaLiga Expert Predicts: Elche 1-1 Sevilla (follow us on Tipstrr to view our betting tips)

Sevilla’s likely rotation does open a window of opportunity for Elche in this game. They will be hoping to try and build some momentum on their own ground at least having won their first home match under Escriba and they have already held the likes of Real Madrid at home this term so it’s certainly not inconceivable that they could get a result here.

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