Valencia vs Elche predictions and match preview for Saturday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups as two sides from the Valencian region meet.
| Date | Saturday 15th October 2022 |
| Kick-Off | 16:15 (local time) |
| Stadium | Mestalla |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Valencia vs Elche Preview
Valencia and Elche face off in a regional derby on Saturday. It’s the first game back for visiting coach Jorge Almiron who was reappointed Elche boss this week and he takes over a team that is rock bottom and without a win.
There are no such problems at Valencia who continue to impress under Gennaro Gattuso. The Italian has brought a burst of energy into this club and is getting the best out of what is a relatively young squad. His side come into this following an impressive 2-1 win at Osasuna last time out with Justin Kluivert and Mouctar Diakhaby on the scoresheet.
Gattuso is still in the process of assessing his options and it may well be that he isn’t clear what his strongest eleven is at this point. He has genuine depth in some areas of the pitch and it feels like a healthy situation where emerging youngsters know they have a real chance to make a name for themselves this season. Valencia could climb as high as 4th with victory here and they will certainly be strong favourites.
As for Elche, almost nothing has gone right so far this season and they spurned a good chance to pick up their first win on Monday night. Leading 1-0, Lucas Boye’s red card in the 61st minute helped tilt the game in Mallorca’s favour with the Balearic side fighting back to take a draw which leaves Elche on just 2 points at the bottom.
It’s fair to say that some eyebrows have been raised by their subsequent decision to reappoint Jorge Almiron. He was in charge during the 2020/21 season but won just 5 of his 24 games and was sacked with the club 19th. He followed that up with an unremarkable spell back in Argentina with Lanus and it’s questionable whether he is really the man to spark some life into this Elche side.
Team News & Possible Lineups
Valencia
| INJURED | Domenech |
| DOUBTFUL | Castillejo, Guillamon |
| BANNED | Marcos Andre, Diakhaby |
Possible XI: Mamardashvili – Gaya, Comert, Paulista, Correia – Ilaix, Guillamon, Almeida – Lino, Cavani, Kluivert (4-3-3)
Coach: Gennaro Gattuso
Elche
| INJURED | |
| DOUBTFUL | Roco, Pastore, Fidel |
| BANNED | Boye |
Possible XI: Badia – Clerc, Bigas, Verdu, Palacios, Lirola – Mascarell, Guti, Gumbau – Roger, Ponce (5-3-2)
Coach: Jorge Almiron
Score Prediction: Valencia 2-0 Elche
Elche haven’t been anywhere near good enough so far this season and while they’ve been more competitive in their last two games, there are still clearly some fundamental flaws. With Valencia playing with real confidence and at times real quality, it’s hard to look past Los Che in this game, particularly with home advantage.
PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
