Elche will welcome Celta Vigo to the Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero on Sunday with both sides only separated by a single point in the La Liga table.
The hosts head into the weekend in 16th place with six points to their name, while their opponents sit in 13th position having accumulated seven points this term.
Match preview
© Reuters
Elche's season got off to a steady start, suffering only one defeat in their opening five league games, although only one win came in that period.
Their fortunes have changed in recent weeks and they enter Sunday's fixture on the back of two defeats - a 4-1 loss to Villarreal and a 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad last time out.
Although those losses were disappointing, Elche's battle will not be with Spain's top sides but with the teams in the bottom half of La Liga as they bid to avoid relegation.
Elche have only scored four goals this season, which if they are to avoid the drop is an issue they will need to address.
The hosts will aim to win their first home game of the campaign on Sunday after drawing all three of their previous home encounters this term.
© Reuters
Celta Vigo experienced a poor start to their campaign with their first five league games only yielding a single point.
However, a revival has taken place in their last two matches, which has seen Os Celestes emerge victorious against Levante and Granada.
In their last outing against Granada, the game seemed to be heading to a goalless draw, but Denis Suarez scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time to steal all three points.
As a result of two successive victories, Celta Vigo's season has gained momentum and they will aim to build on a solid away record that has seen Eduardo Coudet's side pick up four points from their three away games this term.
The visitors will also be feeling bullish heading into the contest due to the fact that they are currently unbeaten in their last four meetings with Elche.
- L
- D
- W
- D
- L
- L
- D
- L
- L
- L
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Elche will be without Pedro Bigas and Jony Alamo, who are both unavailable due to injury.
Lucas Boye returned to training during the week after a spell on the sidelines and he will be in the squad for Sunday's game, though the forward is likely to be on the bench.
Despite losing to Real Sociedad last weekend, Elche held firm for 81 minutes so Fran Escriba is unlikely to make many changes to the side.
Celta Vigo saw both Nestor Araujo and Santi Mina leave the pitch against Granada due to ankle problems.
The away side hope that the pair will be available for Sunday with both players training during the week.
Coudet also saw Joseph Aidoo participate in training, following a period of time out due to COVID-19, and the 26-year-old could return to the squad on Sunday, although he will have to settle for a place on the bench.
Elche possible starting lineup:
Casilla; Palacios, Roco, Gonzalez, Mojica; Piatti, Mascarell, Guti, Fidel; Benedetto, Perez
Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:
Dituro; Mallo, Araujo, Murillo, Galan; Mendez, Tapia, Suarez, Nolito; Mina, Aspas
We say: Elche 1-2 Celta Vigo
With Elche entering the fixture on the back of two consecutive defeats and Celta Vigo confident after winning their last two games, we think that the visitors will have enough to take three points back to Galicia.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Celta Vigo win with a probability of 39.34%. A win for Elche had a probability of 31.42% and a draw had a probability of 29.2%.
The most likely scoreline for a Celta Vigo win was 0-1 with a probability of 13.26%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (7.79%) and 0-2 (7.72%). The likeliest Elche win was 1-0 (11.47%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.36%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with an 11.5% likelihood.
