Can Real Madrid keep up with FC Barcelona?
On Wednesday, it comes to the duel of opposites in the highest Spanish league. While Real Madrid will do everything they can to close the gap on FC Barcelona, the visitors from Elche are fighting to stay in the league.
The roles are therefore clearly distributed, because anything other than a victory for the Madrilenians would be a big surprise. If we look at the betting odds between Real Madrid and Elche, the bookmakers also seem to be assuming a clear home win.
At home, the Royals have taken 21 points from a possible 27 and are still unbeaten this season. In their nine home games, the hosts have scored 18 goals and conceded just seven. A win at the Santiago Bernabeu is therefore a must against Elche, who are bottom of the table.
However, the form of the past weeks has been rather mixed and especially the defeat against RCD Mallorca was very disappointing. In addition, Real Madrid also lost the final of the Spanish Super Cup against FC Barcelona.
Elche will most likely not be able to take advantage of Real’s small form crisis, as Pablo Marchin’s team only took three points from ten games away from home. A win against Madrid, who are strong at home, therefore seems unrealistic.
There is hardly any need to talk about Elche’s form, as the visitors only picked up a single win in the entire season. For this reason, the bookmakers’ odds between Real Madrid and Elche also diverge widely.
Before the season, Carlo Ancelotti said publicly that he would resign if Federico Valverde did not score at least ten goals this season. The Uruguayan seemed to take that statement seriously and scored his tenth goal last weekend.
We therefore recommend betting on a Federico Valverde goal between Real Madrid and Elche. He also scored in the first leg against FC Elche and therefore this bet has value.
Real Madrid – Statistics & current form
Real Madrid are in second place in the highest Spanish division. Carlo Ancelotti’s team took 45 points from 20 games and is thus running somewhat behind expectations. The royals are eleven points behind FC Barcelona and need to win their post-match match against Cadiz to stay on top.
As reigning champions, defending the title is the declared goal. In addition, the next two games are very important tests for the Champions League duel against Liverpool FC in a week’s time. Real is therefore in a decisive phase this season.
Rodrygo’s breakthrough?
Last season, Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior provided a lot of joy in the attack. In the league alone, the two were directly involved in 66 goals and were one of the most dangerous duos in Europe. This season, the two have lagged somewhat behind their performance. Now Rodrygo seems to be making his breakthrough.
The Brazilian has scored eight goals in the competition and set up six others. With his performances, he is imposing himself and could soon become one of the regulars, especially since players like Benzema, Kroos and Modric already have a few years as a professional on their CV.
The Royal defence is not acting galactically
The Royal defence has been anything but royal, especially in recent weeks. In 2023, the Madrilenians have already conceded 14 goals in twelve games and looked somewhat unfocused at times. With Thibaut Courtois, Lucas Vazquez and Ferland Mendy, three options for the defence are missing. On the other hand, Eder Militao could return. Therefore, there will also be one or two changes against Cadiz. Against the weakest offence in La Liga, the defence should hold despite rotation and normally go without conceding a goal.
Last matches of Real Madrid:
WM for clubs
12/02/2023 – Real Madrid 5 – 3 Al Hilal
09/02/2023 – Al Ahly SC 1 – 4 Real Madrid
La Liga
05/02/2023 – Mallorca 1 – 0 Real Madrid
03/02/2023 – Real Madrid 2 – 0 Valencia
30/01/2023 – Real Madrid 0 – 0 Real Sociedad
Elche – Statistics & current form
Elche are in last place in the Spanish first division and are in serious danger of relegation. Pablo Machin’s team has only nine points from 20 games and is already twelve points behind 17th place. Staying in the league would already be a minor sensation, as the visitors have only won one league game this season.
That victory came last matchday against Villarreal and came as a complete surprise. It is at least a first sign of life, but whether that was just an exception will be seen in the coming weeks. A point against Real Madrid could release hidden forces.
Routinier Pere Milla
Attacker Pere Milla was the man of the match against Villarreal with his hat-trick and is the top scorer at FC Elche with a total of seven goals. His good performance did not come to a pleasant end, however, as the Spaniard had to leave the field after 58 minutes with a broken collarbone. He will therefore miss several weeks and leaves a big gap in the visitors’ offensive.
The chances of winning a point against Real Madrid therefore decrease significantly, because the second best scorer is left-back Jose Angel Carmona with only four scorer points. It would therefore be a surprise if Elche were to put the ball in the net in Madrid.
The weakest defence in the league
The outsiders have by far the weakest defence in the league and have already conceded 40 goals. On average, Pablo Marchin’s team allows two goals per game. The defence will have big problems against Real Madrid’s strong attack, because the royals have one of the best offences in La Liga.
Already in the first leg, Elche had to get the ball out of their own net three times and thus lost clearly with 0:3. A similar result would be realistic in the upcoming match, because the guests seem to be even weaker away than already.
Last matches of Elche:
La Liga
04/02/2023 – Elche 3 – 1 FC Villarreal
29/01/2023 – Sevilla FC 3 – 0 Elche
22/01/2023 – Elche 1 – 1 Osasuna Pamplona
17/01/2023 – Cadiz 1 – 1 Elche
07/01/2023 – Elche 0 – 1 Celta Vigo
Real Madrid – Elche Direct comparison / H2H record
The direct comparison between the two teams clearly goes to the home team. The hosts have won 32 games, while the visitors stand at only six victories. Elche’s last win against Real Madrid was in 1978.
The royals are thus unbeaten in 13 games and are very likely to extend the streak. For this reason, our prediction between Real Madrid and Elche is clearly in the direction of a home win. Especially in their own stadium, the hosts should not let anything go to waste.
Real Madrid – Elche Tip
We bet on a -1 handicap win for the home team between Real Madrid and Elche. The Madrilenians are incredibly strong at home and host the weakest away team in the league.
The first leg was won 3:0 and a similar result seems very likely in the next match. FC Elche is missing Milla, the best attacker in the team, and therefore the visitors will hardly create any scoring chances. In addition, the visiting team has the weakest defence in La Liga and therefore the hosts will definitely score two to three goals.
Alternatively, between Real Madrid and Elche, the odds for a win to nil for the Madrilenians are interesting. The royals have already gone six times without conceding a goal this season, while Elche have gone nine times without scoring a goal of their own. Since the first leg also ended with a 3-0 win for Real, the bet also seems to have value.
