Elche vs Almeria Predictions & Match Preview

Elche vs Almeria predictions and match preview for Monday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups as two teams expected to struggle meet.

Elche vs Almeria Preview

Elche host Almeria at the Manuel Martinez Valero Stadium this Monday night. Both sides will be looking to pick up points here after suffering opening day defeats in a campaign which will likely see the two clubs fighting against relegation. 

Elche were perhaps the most disappointing team on Matchday 1 after a 3-0 loss away at Real Betis. John Nwankwo’s early sending off hurt the Valencian club and things got worse after they gifted Betis their first goal, with Manuel Pellegrini’s side scoring two more later on to wrap up victory. 

This loss may have proven as a wake up call for Elche after enjoying a relatively troublesome free season last campaign and after an excellent summer transfer window which has seen them keep Pere Milla whilst bringing in another striker in Roger Marti from recently relegated Levante. 

However, this season may prove to be a whole new challenge for the Valencian side and with three competitive sides arriving in the league, they must pick up points early on in the season if they want to avoid the drop once again.

Almeria also lost their opening match, but in much more respectable fashion. The newly promoted side took on champions Real Madrid and took the lead in the sixth minute after a brilliantly worked team move was finished off by Largi Ramazani. The team held strong defensively whilst hitting Real Madrid on the counter but after sixty minutes the players became tired and failed to keep up with the intensity of Real Madrid.

A Lucas Vazquez effort combined with a superb free-kick from super sub David Alaba allowed Los Blancos to turn the game around and earn a 2-1 victory, but Almeria left the Power Horse Stadium with their heads held high after a strong display against top opposition. 

Almeria won the Segunda Division in late May to return to LaLiga for the first time in seven years. The Andalusian club will look to draw inspiration from their two seasons in Spain’s top division between 2013 and 2015 when they played counter-attacking football whilst often being competitive against the big teams in the league. 

There is still plenty of work for Almeria to do before August comes to a close, as not all of their new signings have been registered to LaLiga whilst star forward Umar Sadiq is almost certain to leave the club, perhaps to Villarreal.

Team News & Possible Lineups

Elche

Possible XI: Badia – Bigas, Diego Gonzalez, Roco – Mojica, Collado, Gumbau, Mascarell, Palacios – Roger Marti, Milla (3-5-2)

Coach: Francisco

Almeria

Possible XI: Fernando – Akieme, Babic, Kaiky, Pozo – Samu Costa, Robertone, Eguaras – Ramazani, Sadiq, Portillo (4-3-3)

Coach: Rubi

Score Prediction: Elche 2-2 Almeria

Elche will be looking to get last week’s result out of their minds with a result in front of their home fans, whilst Almeria will be aiming to keep up their performance from the last matchday but picking up points this time around. Ultimately, this should be an entertaining game between two clubs on a similar level with a point to prove, so a draw seems most probable.

PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.