On Friday night, hapless Elche host Real Betis at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero as the visitors look for crucial points in the fight for a top-four finish in La Liga.
Elche form guideThis season continues to be one to forget for Elche, as last time out, Pablo Machin’s team suffered a 1-0 defeat against fellow strugglers Espanyol. The defeat means that Elche has lost eight of their previous 11 matches in the Spanish top-flight.
The home team are starting to look more and more doomed to life in the Segunda next season, as they are now 13 points from safety in the Spanish top flight. Elche’s biggest issue this season has been scoring goals, as they are unsurprisingly the lowest-scoring team in La Liga, having found the net just 15 times in 22 games.
Real Betis form guideLos Verdiblancos have now recorded back-to-back La Liga victories after a 2-1 home win over Real Valladolid. The victory also saw Betis score at least two goals for the third straight La Liga match.
The short winning run has just about kept the visitors in touch with fourth-place Atletico Madrid in the race for a Champions League spot, as the men from Madrid are four points ahead of Betis.
The side from Seville has been decent travellers of late in the Primera Liga, winning three of their last four away games. Their recent away matches have relatively low scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in six of their previous nine games.
Latest team newsElche looks set to be without the services of Pere Milla, Alex Collado and John Nwankwo through various injuries. Real Betis’s only likely absentee is defensive Paul Akouokou, who is suffering from appendicitis.
What am I backing?Elche has struggled for results this season, and I am backing Real Betis to record a comfortable win.