Elche take on the visitors Betis in the round 23 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Friday, February 24th at Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero (Elche).
Elche are a rather modest team that is not remembered for much. For such a team, staying in La Liga for three years in a row should be considered a good success. Especially since if there was a fight for survival until the last round right after being promoted to La Liga, season 2021/2022 they finished in a high, for themselves, 13th place. The trouble is that after the summer break, the team completely lost its game and settled at the bottom of the division table. The only hope is that the new coach who came during the long break, Pablo Machin, can dramatically change the situation. Not immediately, but something began to work out for him in his new position in winter. In January, they drew 1-1 with Cadiz (with a scandal - it turned out that the yellow submarine scored not by the rules) and Osasuna. And February began with the long-awaited first victory - 3-1 over Villarreal. However, nothing could be done against Real in Madrid - the champion scored 4 unanswered goals. There were chances to hold a draw with Espanyol, but they still scored in added time.
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Betis have always been ambitious enough. But mainly, especially in recent decades, they were behind their neighbor and enemy - Sevilla. Now, White Andalusia is on the decline, and it seemed that it was the Betis who could take advantage of this crisis, replacing the regular top-4 participant. Especially since under Manuel Pellegrini, there were successes and, most importantly, progress in both previous seasons. The Chilean immediately after returning to Spain was able to raise his charges to European competitions. And in the last season, with entry into the playoffs of the Europa League, it was possible to climb to 5th place in La Liga, and even in combination with a victory in the country's cup. The logical next step was to step up at home. But if at the start of the draw the contender was really good and won a lot, then later, from October, the pace was lost, and it was not possible to fully restore it. And only the instability of competitors allows the team from Seville to remain among the contenders for a pass to the Champions League. Yes, there were defeats not only to Barcelona, but also to Celta, and only then was it possible to win the away shootout with Almeria. And then they beat Valladolid - with a goal and an assist from Canales.
After returning to La Liga, Elche has only won 1 out of 5 head-to-head matches. Cucumbers have won three times, including a 3-0 home victory in August last year. Cucumbers want to make it to the Champions League, and clearly, they must continue to score maximum points. It is unlikely that the main outsider will prevent this.
Prediction for the match: Betis to win.
