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FC Barcelona vs. Elche CF
Not only in the Bundesliga, but also in Spain the ball is rolling once again before the international break. The sixth matchday is just around the corner in La Liga and FC Barcelona welcome the second-bottom team from Elche on Saturday. Barca were in action in the top flight during the week, meeting FC Bayern Munich on Tuesday evening. In a high-class match, which Barcelona dominated for a long time, the Catalans lost out in the end. In the league, however, things are going really well, the Blaugrana have won the last four games in a row and are therefore absolutely in the title fight.
Elche, on the other hand, has much bigger problems, collected only one point and is already under pressure early in the season. Whether the coach will get many more games is uncertain at the moment, because the last two games were a revelation. Accordingly, the underdog role for Elche in the match on Saturday afternoon is huge. Find out whether we think Barca will pull off another thumping victory in this Barcelona – Elche betting tip.
Barcelona – Elche info:
– Date & Time: 17.09.2022, 16:15 Uhr
– Venue: Camp Nou (Barcelona)
– Competition: La Liga, Matchday 6
– TV broadcast: DAZN
Barcelona Form & Balance Check
It has been a promising start to the new season for the Catalans so far, even though they suffered their first competitive defeat of the season in Munich during the week. They were also the better team for long stretches at the Allianz Arena, but in the end they failed to convert their chances. Barca dominated the German record champions in the first period in particular, creating great moves and chances. But in the end, the old football wisdom applies: if you want to win, you have to score goals. That didn’t work out on Tuesday and so Barcelona were left empty-handed.
Offensively, Barca are a force
Barcelona didn’t score in Munich, but their forward play, as mentioned, was really nice to watch. Robert Lewandowski in particular is a constant source of danger for opposing teams, scoring six goals in the league already and setting up two more. Then there is Ousmane Dembélé, who is hardly recognisable since his contract extension. In the last four league games, Barca have always scored at least three goals and have the best goal difference in the league. Only because of Real’s strong performance and the dropped points on the first matchday against Rayo are the Catalans not at the top of the table.
Barcelona facts & analysis
– They did not concede a goal in four of their first five league games.
– Barca have won their last four La Liga games by at least a three-goal margin
– Lewandowski is the league’s top scorer with six goals
Elche Form & Balance Check
The start to the season could hardly have been worse for Elche, as the promoted side from 2020 has struggled to keep up so far. The team only picked up one point in the first five matchdays, and that was on the second matchday against promoted Almeria. Goalkeeper Badia has already had to make 13 saves, eight in the last two games alone. Elche are not currently playing at first division level. They have to improve considerably, otherwise the competition will continue to catch up. If the team doesn’t manage to improve its performance and points tally, it’s almost certain to go down to the 2nd division.
How much time will coach Rodriguez get?
Last year, the club management installed Francisco Rodriguez as the main man in charge at Elche. At that time, he took over the team in 17th place and managed to stay in the league at the end. But this season, defensive stability is particularly lacking. So far, the team has conceded at least one goal in every match, in three games even three or more. Especially in the last encounter with Bilbao, the team was completely out of sorts, already trailing 0:4 at the break. If Elche go down again against Barca, a change of coach is not out of the question at this early stage.
Elche facts & analysis
– Away still without own goal
– Elche are the only team apart from Cadiz not to have won yet this season
– They have scored the second fewest goals of any team
Predicted line-up – last update on 15 September 2022
The Catalans look very stable and even if they lost in Munich, the performance was really decent. We therefore expect a maximum of one personnel change, and that is Ansu Fati is an option for the wing. Raphinha could slip out of the team. Something has to happen for the visitors, because the performance against Bilbao was indisputable. Probably Nwankwo will start in central defence and goal scorer Ponce from the beginning in the offensive. Guti could replace the injured Gumbau on the six.
Barcelona – Elche direct comparison & statistics
46 times this clash has taken place in the Spanish top flight, with Barca coming out on top 26 times. Elche have only won eight times. In recent years, Barcelona have usually come out on top.
– Elche have not won against Barcelona for 48 years.
– In the entire history of La Liga, Elche have never won at Barcelona.
– Last season Barca won both comparisons (3:2 & 2:1)
