Round 27 of the 2022-23 Spanish La Liga season continues Saturday, April 1, with four matches around the league, so we have prepared the best Elche vs. Barcelona betting pick and odds along with the latest team stats and news.
Elche – Barcelona Betting Tip, Prediction & Odds (1.4.2023)
La Liga is back following an international break, bringing the clash between the league leaders Barcelona and bottom-placed Elche. The visitors are surefire favorites to grab three points, so let’s take a closer look.
Elche vs. Barcelona: Initial Situation
Barcelona are topping the standings with 68 points (W22, D2, L2) and a 49:9 goal difference. Xavi’s boys are 12 points above second-placed Real Madrid with 12 rounds to go. On the other side, Elche are in dire straits, sitting bottom of the standings with just 13 points (W2, D7. L17) and an awful 19:51 goal difference. Los Franjiverdes are 14 points behind the safe zone.
Elche Stats & Form
Elche took their first victory of the season on February 4, beating Villarreal 3-1 in front of the home fans. Since then, they’ve recorded four losses, a draw, and a win. Over their previous three showings at home, Elche have registered a couple of losses to Espanyol 1-0 and Betis 3-2 along with a 1-1 draw versus Valladolid. Last week, Los Franjiverdes appointed Sebastian Beccacece as their new manager. This will be Beccacece’s first job in Europe.
Winger Pere Milla leads the way for Elche with seven goals in 21 appearances this season. Striker Ezequiel Ponce has five goals on his season tally, while fellow striker Lucas Boye has accounted for three goals and four assists in 2022-23.
Barcelona Stats & Form
Barcelona are riding a four-game winning streak following a 2-1 home victory over Real Madrid in Round 26. They erased an early deficit, and Franck Kessie scored the winner in the dying moments of the second half. In their previous five league matches on the road, Barcelona have recorded four wins and one loss, and four of those five tilts have seen only one goal on the scoreboard, including a 1-0 defeat against Almeria.
Robert Lewandowski leads the charge for Barcelona with 25 goals in 33 appearances in all competitions this season. Raphinha has accounted for nine goals and nine assists across 38 matches, while Ousmane Dembele has eight goals and seven dishes on his season tally. Dembele and Pedri (seven goals) are recovering from injuries and shouldn’t be available for Saturday’s clash against Elche.
Elche – Barcelona: Head-to-Head
Elche are winless in their 12 encounters with Barcelona, earning just one draw in the process. In their first meeting of the season, Barcelona beat Elche 3-0 at home to extend their winning streak over Los Franjiverdes to ten games.
Elche – Barcelona Odds
The bookmakers are expecting Barcelona to roll over Elche, and you can take the visitors to win by two or more goals at 1.85 odds with Unibet Sportsbook. Barcelona’s defense has been outstanding all season long, so Both Teams to Score YES pays 2.00 at bet365 Sportsbook.
Elche shouldn’t be able to contain Barcelona’s frontline, and I would be surprised if the hosts found a way to score against the best defense in La Liga. Hereof, I would take Barcelona AH -1.5 at 1.85 with Unibet. Barcelona haven’t beaten a 1.5-goal line in six straight matches in all competitions, and the clash against Elche is a perfect opportunity for Xavi’s team to grab a comfortable victory.
Betting tip and prediction: Elche – Barcelona (1.4.2023)