Elche vs Villarreal: Yellow Submarine looking to bounce back after Barça setback
Fourth-placed Villarreal travel to Martinez Valero to face an in-form Elche side in a fascinating mid-season La Liga clash this Saturday.
Villarreal aim to strengthen their top-four credentials as they visit a surprisingly buoyant Elche side who are enjoying life in the top half of the table.
Form Guide
The Yellow Submarine make the short trip to the Martinez Valero sitting pretty in fourth position with 35 points, though they’ll be looking to dust themselves down after coming unstuck against Barcelona last time out. Marcelino’s men remain in a proper tasty position in the table, sandwiched between Atletico Madrid (37 points) and Espanyol (33 points), with the league’s big boys Real Madrid leading the way on 42.
Elche, meanwhile, are having a right good season by their standards. Currently ninth with 22 points, the home side will be full of beans after their victory against Rayo Vallecano in their previous outing. They’ve been punching above their weight this term and will fancy their chances of causing an upset.
Head-to-Head Stakes
While Villarreal clearly have the quality advantage on paper, this fixture has all the makings of a potential banana skin:
- Elche have home advantage at the Martinez Valero
- The hosts are riding high on confidence after their Rayo win
- Villarreal need to show character after their Barcelona disappointment
- The 13-point gap between the sides doesn’t tell the whole story of Elche’s improvements
When and Where
The match kicks off at 18:30 local time on Saturday, January 3rd at Elche’s Martinez Valero Stadium. For those wanting to catch the action, DAZN will be broadcasting the game live, while Radio MARCA will provide audio commentary.
What to Expect
This promises to be a proper game of football between two sides with different but clear objectives. Villarreal will be desperate to cement their Champions League credentials, while Elche continue their quest to establish themselves as more than just top-flight survivors.
Villarreal’s superior firepower should give them the edge, but if they’re still feeling sorry for themselves after the Barça defeat, they might find themselves in a right two and eight. Elche have already shown they can mix it with the bigger boys this season.