- 1 Espanyol Barcelona vs Elche: 16 conceded, 8 scored, and the odd riddle of the bottom side
- 2 Espanyol Barcelona: seven points, six games and a goal in every one
- 3 Elche: the worst defence in La Liga, but the goals are still coming
- 4 La Liga Prediction Espanyol Barcelona vs Elche
- 5 Before anything else, a word on our free tips
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Espanyol Barcelona vs Elche: 16 conceded, 8 scored, and the odd riddle of the bottom side 
Elche have shipped 16 goals in their first six La Liga matches. No other side in Spain’s top flight has a worse defensive record at this stage.
That alone explains their 20th-place standing and two-point return. But it hides a detail that changes how this fixture should be read.
Elche have scored eight times over the same run, which is more than third-placed Real Betis. This promoted side are not simply getting rolled over. They are losing wild, open games.
Espanyol host the match on Friday, 18 September at 21:00 Paris time at the RCDE Stadium, with the game taking place in round seven. The Catalans sit eighth with seven points.
Their start has brought two wins, one draw and three defeats. The consistency is missing, but the attack has not gone missing with it.
Both sides come in off defeats. Espanyol went down 2-1 at Vallecas on Tuesday, while Elche lost 3-2 at home to Real Madrid the night before.
The tight schedule leaves both benches with only three days to recover. Rotation looks inevitable on both sides.
So round seven pits eighth against 20th in the Spanish table. Just five points separate them.
The RCDE Stadium has yet to see Espanyol win back-to-back league matches this season. That wobble gives a struggling promoted side a real opening.
Espanyol Barcelona: seven points, six games and a goal in every one 
Espanyol have taken four points from their three September fixtures. The month began with a 1-1 draw against Sevilla at the RCDE Stadium.
They then went to Pamplona and came away with a clean 2-0 win over Osasuna. That remains their best performance of the season so far.
The run ended on Tuesday at Vallecas, where they lost 2-1 to Rayo. Manolo Gonzalez’s side lost more than just a point there.
Omar El Hilali was sent off late on and will miss the visit of Elche. The 23-year-old’s absence leaves a hole on the right side.
Javi Puado, Kike Garcia, Jofre Carreras and Andoni Gorosabel are out injured. The blow hits Espanyol’s attacking options hard.
Bryan Zaragoza and Exposito are expected to come into the side, with Jose Angel Lopez set to cover for El Hilali. That means changes across most of the back line and midfield.
One stat still stands up despite the churn: Espanyol have scored in every one of their six league matches. Even the three defeats.
The RCDE Stadium also remains a good place for them against this opponent. Espanyol have not lost any of their last six meetings with Elche.
Their defensive record, though, is patchy at best. They have kept only two clean sheets in six league games, against Levante and away to Osasuna.
The other four outings all brought at least one goal conceded. That shapes the feel of this one.
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Elche: the worst defence in La Liga, but the goals are still coming 
Elche have two points from six games, earned through two draws and four defeats. That leaves them bottom of La Liga.
Their 16 goals conceded is the worst total in the division. Six of those came in the 0-5 defeat in Barcelona.
And yet the attack tells a different story. Eight goals in six league games is better than Real Betis and their current place in the top three.
The 3-2 loss to Real Madrid summed up Elche’s season. They came from two goals down to make it 2-2 in the 83rd minute.
Carlos Espi then struck in stoppage time to deny Elche a point against the league leaders from Madrid. Too familiar a story this season.
Their previous trip offered more encouragement, with a hard-earned 1-1 draw at San Mames on 12 September. Martin Anselmi finally found some defensive balance there.
The Argentine coach is likely to shuffle his team again for Friday’s match. Thomas Lemar, Ruben Sanchez and Fer Nino are all pushing for starts.
Yago Santiago remains out with a knee problem, while Adam Boayar is sidelined by muscle discomfort. And their record against Espanyol does them no favours either.
Elche have not beaten the Catalan club since January 2022. Across 49 meetings in all competitions, they have won only 15.
Anselmi now has to balance the discipline shown at San Mames with the attacking output that keeps his side afloat. So far, he has not found a night when both show up together.
The schedule is hardly helping, either, with a trip to Catalonia coming three days after facing Real Madrid. Fresh legs could matter on Friday night.
Expected Espanyol Barcelona lineup: Dmitrovic – J. Lopez, Riedel, Cabrera, Hinojo – Gonzalez, Exposito – Hernandez, Zaragoza, Hartman – R. Fernandez
Expected Elche lineup: Dituro – R. Sanchez, Redondo, Chust, Revivo – Lemar, Neto, Aguado, Villar, Nino – Osorio
La Liga Prediction Espanyol Barcelona vs Elche
Our pick: Both teams to score
Espanyol have scored in all six of their league games. None of their three defeats ended in a blank.
Elche have found the net in five of their six matches, the only exception being the 0-5 hammering in Barcelona. Their eight goals also top the current return of third-placed Real Betis.
With several key men missing from Espanyol’s back line and Elche already leaking 16 goals, neither defence looks reliable enough to keep this shut. Both teams should score.
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