Elche vs Barcelona: Can Hansi Flick's side make a confident start to the season?
On Sunday, August 23, Barcelona will begin their new La Liga campaign with an away match against Elche. The game will kick off at 21:30 CET, and I have a betting tip for you.
Elche vs Barcelona: Match preview
Last season, Elche finished 15th in the table, collecting 43 points from 38 matches. They finished just one point clear of the relegation zone and managed to retain their place in La Liga. Ahead of the new season, the team played five matches and remained unbeaten, recording two wins and three draws. The team have also already started their new La Liga campaign, playing their opening match against Deportivo, one of the newcomers to La Liga, last week. Elche managed to earn a 1-1 draw.
Barcelona are clear favourites for this match and for the tournament as a whole. The Blaugrana have won the title in each of the last two seasons and are favourites once again. The team have not yet played any competitive matches this season, so this will be their first official game of the campaign. They played six friendlies, winning four and losing two. They also managed to sign Rodri this summer, who should help both in attack and defence.
Match facts and H2H
- Elche are unbeaten in their last eight matches, recording three wins and five draws.
- Barcelona have won three of their last four matches.
- Elche have scored in four consecutive matches.
- Elche have scored in each of their last 19 home matches.
- Barcelona have conceded at least one goal in each of their last three matches.
- Barcelona beat Elche 3-1 in their most recent meeting.
Probable line-ups
- Elche: Dituro; Chust, Redondo, Affengruber; Sangare, Villar, Aguado, Valera; Houary, Nino, Cepeda
- Barcelona: J Garcia; E Garcia, Kounde, Martin, Balde; Pedri, Bernal; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Abdelkarim
Prediction
Barcelona are clear favourites for this match, and I think they will be able to secure the victory and make a strong start to the new season. My betting tip is for Barcelona's team total to be over 2 goals.
