Barcelona vs Elche

Barcelona will be desperate to get back to winning ways in La Liga when they take on warm relegation candidates Elche at Camp Nou.

Osasuna hit back twice to eke out a 2-2 home draw against a lowly Barcelona last time out, pouring more misery on the Catalans following their first Champions League group stage elimination in 21 years. Xavi Hernandez’s men are now winless in their last three competitive games in a row (D2, L1), conceding an average of 2.0 goals per match in that period. Therefore, Elche’s visit to Camp Nou could bring the smiles back to the home faithful’s faces, as the ‘Blaugrana’ have gone unbeaten in their last 17 top-flight H2Hs (W13, D4) since falling to a narrow 1-0 loss in 1974. What’s more, they’ve kept ten consecutive La Liga clean sheets against them, which is a stark contrast to Barca’s recent defensive showings. They’ve registered just one shutout in their last ten league outings.

As for Elche, a return of three victories from their last four fixtures in all competitions (L1) could inspire the visitors’ efforts to avoid being sucked into an early relegation fight. ‘Los Franjiverdes’ head into proceedings a mere two points clear of 18th-placed Cadiz after picking up just one win from their last nine La Liga matches (D3, L5). A lack of firepower up front has seen only four La Liga sides score fewer league games than Elche (16) so far this season, with Francisco’s men registering a miserable average of 0.77 goals per La Liga away match. Another potential problem for the traveling side could be their inability to hold onto the lead, having already dropped a league-high 11 goals from winning positions this term (GP8 – W3, D4, L1).