Match of the 18th round of La Liga between Elche and Villarreal will take place on 3 january at Manuel Martínez Valero stadium. Elche vs Villarreal: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Elche
In the last round Elche thrashed strong Rayo Vallecano (4:0). This was the club's second big win in the last three Primera División matches, although previously the team had gone seven games in the competition without a victory (3 draws, 4 defeats). The winter transformation allowed a return to the top half of the table and now the home side sit in 9th place. They are 6 points short of the European places. Notably, in the current La Liga season the home side remain unbeaten at their stadium (5 wins, 4 draws). In league home games the club has conceded just 5 goals in total, only Rayo Vallecano have conceded fewer (4).
- The team scored in 6 of the previous 7 Primera División matches.
- Elche Won With Handicap (+1.5) In 5 Of The Last 6 Matches In This Competition.
- At Least 2 Goals Were Scored In 5 Of The Last 6 Home League Matches.
Potential Elche Lineup (3-5-2)*
Iñaki Peña – John Donald, David Affengruber, Pedro Bigas – Héctor Fort, Álvaro Núñez, Marc Aguado, Aleix Febas, Herman Valera – Álvaro Rodríguez, Rafa Mir.
Midfielder Federico Redondo is serving a suspension. Forward Grady Diangana is unavailable due to injury.
Villarreal
Villarreal went a long time without dropping points in La Liga, but the final match of 2025 ended badly: the hosts lost 0:2 at home to Barcelona. That ended a six-match winning run in the league. Previously there had been no defeats in seven consecutive matches in the competition, and the hosts had been unbeaten at home since March. In addition, the team failed to score for the first time in 12 Primera División games. The main result was a drop to 4th place in the table. However, it is important to note that compared with the top three the club still have two games in hand. Even after the defeat to Barcelona the squad remain one of the most reliable teams in La Liga; since the start of the season they have conceded 15 goals in total.
- At Least 2 Goals Have Been Scored In Each Of 9 League Matches For The Team.
- The Away Unbeaten/Competing Run For Villarreal In La Liga Lasts 6 Matches (4 Wins, 2 Defeats).
- The Team Scored In 5 Away League Matches In A Row.
Potential Villarreal Lineup (4-4-2)*
Luis Júnior – Pau Navarro, Renato Veiga, Rafa Marín, Sergi Cardona – Tajon Buchanan, Dani Parejo, Santi Comesaña, Alberto Moleiro – Nicolas Pépé, Ayoze Pérez.
Midfielders Pape Gueye and Ilyas Ahomash will not be available due to participation in the Africa Cup of Nations. Defender Renato Veiga and midfielder Tajon Buchanan are suspended. Due to injuries the team will be without defenders Logan Costa and Willy Kambwala, as well as forward Pau Cabanes.
Referee
Isidro Díaz De Mera (Spain)
Matches – 9 (La Liga, 2025/26);
Yellow/Red Cards (Including Seconds) – 31;
Average Yellow/Red Cards Per Match – 3.4;
Red Cards – 3;
Fouls Per Match On Average – 27;
Penalties – 33%.
Elche vs Villarreal: Match Prediction
Elche are a distinctly strong home team that gives all visitors a difficult time. In the current La Liga season the club remain unbeaten at home, with more than half of their home matches ending in wins (5 of 9). Previously the home side have already held opponents of various levels, including Real Madrid – in the game against one of the league leaders Elche lacked only a few minutes to take the three points.
Villarreal saw several impressive runs end when they lost 0:2 to Barcelona in the last round. They need to respond, but now the team face a very difficult trip to an uncomfortable opponent. The visitors have won only 3 of the last 9 head-to-head La Liga meetings (4 draws, 2 defeats), and importantly all wins during that period were at home. In the last 4 away league matches against Elche, Villarreal collected only 2 points out of 12 possible.
Prediction: Elche Or Draw
* For each team the starting lineup listed is from its previous match in this competition.
