Elche vs Barcelona: La Liga Match Preview, Predicted Line-ups and Fantasy XI

The Blaugrana continue their march towards a first league title since 2018/19 during Elche vs Barcelona on Saturday evening.

Match Details:

• Location: Elche, Spain
• Stadium: Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero
• Date: Saturday 1 April
• Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PST
• Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande

Elche vs Barcelona: Match Preview:

Elche will host Barcelona as league football in Spain resumes after the international break. League leaders Barcelona will look to extend their three-match winning streak, whereas hosts Elche will hope to register their 3rd win of the ongoing season.

The hosts have suffered all season long. They are placed at the bottom of the league table with 13 points out of their 26 matches. They have suffered defeats in 17 matches and have only won two league fixtures all season long.

As far as their last five fixtures are concerned, Elche have won one, drawn one and lost the remaining three. While their track record does not look good, eight out of their 13 points have come in 2023. Both their wins have come in the ongoing calendar year. And, they will be hoping for a miracle against the Catalan giants.

The hosts are heading into this fixture on the back of a 2-0 loss at the hands of Real Sociedad. They will be hopeful of a better outing this time around. However, it won't be easy to square up against Xavi's men who have been in red-hot form of late.

Xavi on Leo Messi's return to Barça: "It's not the time to talk about Messi's return. I talk a lot with him. It's a topic that we are dealing with" 🚨🔵🔴 #FCB

"Hopefully we can see him at Barcelona again. It's the club of his life". pic.twitter.com/PoZESuxD1A

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 31, 2023

The visitors sit at the top of the table with 68 points out of their 26 fixtures. They have a 12-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid. While Barcelona do have a significant lead at the top, they are expected to still go all out for a win against Elche.

The Catalan giants have won four out of their last five league fixtures. They are on a three-match winning streak and will look to make it four in a row. Their last outing in the league was a 2-1 win over Real Madrid in El Clasico.

The win helped them complete a three-peat over their arch-rivals Madrid. The win over Los Blancos has almost guaranteed them the title. However, they are still expected to go all out for a win until they seal the title.

Team News:

Elche:

New Elche boss Beccacece is without the suspended duo of Pape Cheikh and Lucas Boye to add to some pretty considerable injury issues.

Jony Alamo, Randy Nteka and Enzo Roco are all sidelined, while Lisandro Magallan has a thigh injury which could also see him miss out. John Nwankwo also has a leg problem and may not be fit in time.

Barcelona:

Barça are also struggling with some injuries to key squad members. Ousmane Dembele is still recovering from a muscle injury, while Andreas Christensen and Pedri will also be absent on Saturday night.

👍 Ready for the weekend, culers? pic.twitter.com/rBap7vQYYN

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 31, 2023

Raphinha is suspended for an accumulation of yellow cards, while late calls will be made on the fitness of Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong, though the former isn't expected to be available.

Elche vs Barcelona: Head to Head:

• Barcelona have an excellent recent record against Elche and have won 11 of the last 12 matches played between the two teams, with the other match ending in a draw.
• Elche are winless in their last 20 matches in La Liga and have suffered defeat in each of their last seven such matches against the Blaugrana.
• After a run of six defeats in nine away matches against Elche in La Liga, Barcelona are unbeaten in their last nine such games and have found the back of the net in each one of these matches.

Predicted Line-ups:

Elche (3-5-2): Badia; Gonzalez, Mercau, Palacios; Carmona, Gumbau, Mascarell, Guti, Clerc; Ponce, Milla.

🎙 Xavi: "We need to improve in creating more opportunities in attack" pic.twitter.com/agPZNfrRGB

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 31, 2023

Barcelona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Roberto, Kounde, Alonso, Balde; Kessie, Busquets, Gavi; Torres, Lewandowski, Fati.

ELC vs BAR: Fantasy XI

Ter Stegen; Palacios; Carmona,Kounde, Alonso, Kessie, Busquets, Gavi; Torres, Lewandowski,Milla.