Elche unbeaten in five straight matches, Valencia stuck in the relegation zone: Elche vs Valencia prediction
On November 1, Elche will host Valencia at the Manuel Martínez Valero Stadium in the 11th round of Spain's La Liga. The hosts have hit good form and climbed to 15th place, while the visitors sit second from bottom in the standings. Martín Anselmi's side will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to six matches in all competitions.
Elche: five matches unbeaten and confident attacking play
Elche have improved significantly after a poor start to the campaign. Their last defeat came in mid-September against Real Madrid (2-3), after which they went unbeaten in five matches across all competitions. In La Liga, Martín Anselmi's men have collected eight points from their last four games, beating Espanyol (3-1) and Rayo Vallecano (3-0), while drawing with Celta Vigo (0-0) and Villarreal (0-0). In the Copa del Rey, the team extended their winning run with a 3-1 victory over Pinar.
After 10 rounds, Elche have 10 points from two wins, four draws and four defeats. Fer Niño has played a key role in attack, scoring six goals in 10 league appearances. However, his participation in this match remains in doubt after he picked up an injury against Rayo Vallecano. Marc Aguado continues to recover from an ankle injury. At the same time, Tom Lemar is expected to return to the starting XI after not starting the cup tie.
Valencia: second from bottom and enduring winless run
Valencia are going through a serious crisis. Javier Aguirre's team have collected just six points from 10 rounds and sit 19th in the table. Their last league victory came back in mid-September against Alavés (1-0). In their next four matches, the visitors earned only two points, drawing with Racing (2-2) and Athletic Club (0-0), while losing to Real Sociedad (2-3) and Villarreal (1-2). Their lack of attacking output is particularly concerning: Valencia have scored just seven goals in 10 rounds.
The squad situation is also making matters worse for the visitors. Harvey Elliott will miss the match through suspension after being sent off against Villarreal. David Otorbi has picked up an injury, while Sergi Canós, José Copete, Umar Sadiq, Dimitri Foulquier and Diego López are all dealing with fitness issues. In addition, Valencia failed to beat Elche in either of their two meetings last season: the teams drew 1-1 on Valencia's home turf, while the hosts won 1-0 in the return fixture.
Match facts and head-to-head record
- Elche are unbeaten in their last five matches in all competitions, winning three of them
- Valencia have collected just two points from their last four La Liga matches
- Elche have lost just one of their last four matches against Valencia
Will Elche extend their strong run? Elche vs Valencia prediction
Elche head into this clash in significantly better shape. Anselmi's team have looked solid defensively, keeping clean sheets in their last three league matches, while consistently creating dangerous chances. Even the possible absence of Fer Niño does not erase the hosts' advantage in terms of current form.
Valencia are struggling in front of goal, while their numerous absences further limit Aguirre's options. Taking the teams' recent results and the home advantage into account, we expect Elche to claim an important victory, although the visitors are certainly capable of finding the net.
