Elche vs Granada

Relegation-threatened Elche play host to mid-table Granada at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero in their first La Liga match of 2022.

Back-to-back defeats at Barcelona and Valencia to close things out in 2021 reinforced Elche’s precarious position in the standings, leaving them level on points with 18th-placed Deportivo Alaves. On the bright side, though, the hosts defeated fellow relegation strugglers Cadiz 3-1 in their most recent La Liga home fixture to end a run of three home league games without winning (D1, L2). Seeking back-to-back La Liga victories on home soil for the first time since March 2021, Elche have to defy their three-match losing H2H streak in league football. Additionally, they have failed to win any of their previous four La Liga home meetings with Granada (D2, L2), drawing a blank in two of the last three. Francisco’s men have struggled in front of goal this season, scoring a league fifth-low five second-half goals at home so far.

In the meantime, Granada concluded 2021 on a high, putting together a five-game winning run in La Liga while winning the last two in a row by an aggregate score of 6-2. Head coach Roberto Moreno could become only the third-ever Granada manager to win three top-flight games on the trot across a single league campaign in the 21st century. Adding to his confidence, the ‘Nazaries’ have suffered just one defeat in their previous seven La Liga visits to sides from Comunidad Valenciana (W2, D4), registering a clean sheet in the last two on the spin. Curiously, Moreno’s men have scored more La Liga goals from outside the box (8) than any other side this season, highlighting their potential to inflict damage from range.