Elche vs Granada predictions and match preview for Sunday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for expert analysis, the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as Granada aim to record a third straight win.
| Date | Sunday 2nd January 2022 |
| Kick-Off | 16:15 (local time) |
| Stadium | Martínez Valero |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Elche vs Granada Preview
Elche and Granada clash in a bottom half battle this Sunday. The visitors are one of the form teams in LaLiga heading into 2022 and could even propel themselves into the top half with victory here, a real transformation from their early struggles this term.
Having narrowly beat the drop last season, it’s not a huge surprise to see Elche battling near the bottom of the league again. They have already made the decision to dismiss popular coach Fran Escriba and it’s 3 wins from 5 games so far for Francisco in all competitions, although 2 of those victories did come in the Copa del Rey.
Overall, there have been some positive signs since the change in boss. They gave Barcelona a fright last time out by coming from 2-0 down to level at Camp Nou with Tete Morente and Pere Milla on target. However the Catalans did find a winner and Elche come into the weekend in 17th place as a result. Their hopes in this match are severely hampered by 12 positive Covid-19 tests, although the identities of those to return positive tests are unknown at the time of writing.
It’s a similar story at Granada, although they have only four unnamed positive cases. That may give them a slight edge here but Robert Moreno will be disappointed at potentially having to shuffle his pack following some excellent results in recent weeks. The Andalusians have taken 10 points from their last 4 league games including an impressive 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid last time out.
They have one of the form strikers in LaLiga in the shape of veteran Jorge Molina. The former Getafe man netted a hat-trick in their recent 4-1 win over Mallorca before scoring the winner against Atleti too. With the likes of Luis Suarez and Darwin Machis also a threat, Granada look to have enough firepower to ensure they steer clear of any relegation drama in the second half of the season but with defensive flaws, they will struggle to better their current 12th place.
Head to Head
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 1 Elche Win, 4 Granada Wins, 1 Draw.
- Granada have won all of the last 3 meetings.
- Elche haven’t beaten Granada since a 2-1 home win in the Copa del Rey in September 2018.
- 3 of the last 6 meetings in Elche have been drawn.
Team News
Enzo Roco is banned for Elche. They’ve announced 12 positive Covid-19 tests but we don’t know which players have it, at the time of writing.
Granada still have injury doubts over Ruben Rochina, Domingos Duarte and Santiago Arias. They’ve also announced four positive tests.
Possible Lineups
Elche vs Granada Predictions
Score Prediction: Elche 1-2 Granada
Based on what we know so far, Elche are one of the worst affected sides by the Covid-19 wave that is sweeping LaLiga and may have to field a host of fringe players here. That could tilt this one in favour of in-form Granada although it’s hard to make any confident predictions without knowing the identities of those missing.
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PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga predictions are not betting tips. No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
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