Elche vs Real Betis predictions and match preview for Friday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups as the visitors target a 3rd straight win.
| Date | Friday 24th February 2023 |
| Kick-Off | 21:00 (CET) |
| Stadium | Manuel Martinez Valero |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Elche vs Real Betis Preview
The Friday night game in LaLiga comes from Elche where the locals will already be pretty keen to get this nightmare season over with. With just 9 points on the board and 16 games to go, the challenge now will be to scramble as many points as possible to add a degree of respectability to this campaign.
Any lingering survival hopes were surely extinguished by Sergi Darder’s fine late goal which settled their bottom of the table clash against Espanyol last weekend. It was a scarcely deserved win for the visitors and Elche’s recent home performances have been noticeably better, although their recent 3-1 triumph over Villarreal remains their solitary victory this term in LaLiga.
Pere Milla was their hat-trick hero on that day but he’s out for the foreseeable future with a fractured collarbone and there has been little sign of any of Elche’s other attacking players providing similar contributions. Lucas Boye is their best striker on paper but he has just 1 goal for the season. Ezequiel Ponce has chipped in with 3 goals but no other player besides Milla has scored more than once.
That should encourage a Real Betis defence which has looked far from secure in recent weeks. The Andalusian side have let in 9 goals in their last 4 league outings but they have still managed to win their last two. Victories over Almeria and Real Valladolid give Betis back-to-back league wins for the first time since September and they’ll be favourites to make it 3 in a row for the first time since their opening 3 games of the season.
That particular sequence started with a 3-0 win over Elche but they are hampered by a few selection issues for the reverse meeting. Sergio Canales, Edgar Gonzalez and Rui Silva are all injured while Guido Rodriguez is the latest Betis player to serve a suspension. Their ability to top their Europa League group in the autumn does at least mean they’ve had a couple of free midweeks heading into this though and their squad should be able to cope with the absentees.
Team News & Possible Lineups
Elche
| INJURED | Collado, Milla, Chetauya, Alamo |
| DOUBTFUL | Nteka, Magallan |
| BANNED | Carmona |
Possible XI: Badia – Diego, Roca, Bigas – Clerc, Gumbau, Mascarell, Palacios – Fidel – Ponce, Boye (3-4-1-2)
Coach: Pablo Machin
Real Betis
| INJURED | Rui Silva, Juan Cruz, Canales, Edgar |
| DOUBTFUL | |
| BANNED | Guido |
Possible XI: Bravo – Abner, Pezzella, Felipe, Sabaly – Guardado, Carvalho – Juanmi, Fekir, Henrique – Iglesias (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Manuel Pellegrini
Score Prediction: Elche 1-3 Real Betis
The Stoppage Time winner for Espanyol here last weekend felt like another real hammer blow to Elche’s confidence levels at a time when it just seemed like they might be starting to regain a bit of belief. It’s hard to fancy them against a strong Betis side that has shown glimpses of their best football in recent weeks following a tricky winter overall.
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.
