Elche were among the worst road performers last season and currently sit in the last place. I am backing Espanyol to win on Friday.
Key Stats
- Espanyol have won to nil in their last 2 home matches against Elche.
- Elche have lost 4 of their last 5 matches.
Hosts Lead H2H
Espanyol have a 20-15 advantage against Elche in head to head matches, while 14 encounters ended without a winner.
Espanyol Solid at Home
Espanyol are having mixed results in the new La Liga campaign, accumulating seven points from six matches and currently sit in 8th place.
They had a tough schedule at home so far, beating Levante 3-0, then narrowly losing to Real Madrid 2-1, while 1.22-0.53 xG and 12-6 in shots were not enough to beat Sevilla (1-1).
Espanyol looked fantastic last weekend in Pamplona, beating favored Osasuna 2-0, but lost the mid-week trip to Rayo Vallecano 2-1.
Elche Sitting in Last Place
Elche started the new La Liga season under new leadership, appointing Martin Anselmi as the new head manager in early July, but the results are not looking promising so far.
After Marc Aguado saved them in the first round against La Coruna (1-1) with his late equalizer, they lost three games in a row to Barcelona 5-0, Racing Santander 3-2 and Real Sociedad 3-2.
Elche were lucky to end this negative run and snatch a point at San Mames against Athletic Bilbao 1-1 last weekend. They had 0.84-2.40 expected goals, 33% possession and 3-19 shots.
They hosted Real Madrid on Tuesday, recovered from a two-goal deficit but conceded in stoppage time and lost 3-2. Abiel Osorio and Fer Nino appeared on the scoresheet.
Team News & Predicted Lineups
Espanyol (4-2-3-1) Marko Dmitrovic; Jose Angel Lopez, Clemens Riedel, Leandro Cabrera, Carlos Hinojo; Urko Gonzalez, Edu Exposito; Unai Hernandez, Bryan Zaragoza, Mark Hartman; Roberto Fernandez
Defender Omar El Hilali serves a red card suspension while Javi Puado, Kike Garcia, Jofre Carreras, and Andoni Gorosabel remain sidelined through injury.
Defender Omar El Hilali serves a red card suspension while Javi Puado, Kike Garcia, Jofre Carreras, and Andoni Gorosabel remain sidelined through injury.
Elche (4-4-2) Matias Dituro; Ruben Sanchez, Redondo, Victor Chust, Revivo; Thomas Lemar, Neto, Marc Aguado, Gonzalo Villar; Fer Nino, Osorio
Yago Santiago misses out due to a knee issue and Adam Boayar is sidelined with a muscular problem.
Yago Santiago misses out due to a knee issue and Adam Boayar is sidelined with a muscular problem.