Elche will be looking to claim their first victory of the La Liga campaign when they host Maloorca at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero on Monday night.
The hosts have picked up just one point from their opening seven matches to sit bottom of the table, while the visitors currently sit in 12th place, having eight point from their first seven games.
Elche are in their third straight season in the Spanish top flight, finishing 17th and 13th in the last two campaigns, but the early indications are that it could be a very tough 2022-2 for the team.
Los Franjiverdes have scored just three times in the league this season, and while it is not quite panic stations due to the amount of football left to play, their form is certainly concerning at this stage.
Elche announced earlier this month that Francisco had been sacked as head coach due to the poor start to the season, and the club are yet to appoint his replacement.
Meanwhile, Mallorca head into the contest off the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat to Barcelona on October 1, with the hosts having given a strong account of themselves but lost to a first-half Robert Lewandowski goal.
Los Piratas are currently in 12th place in the league table on eight points, having recorded two wins, two draws and three defeats from their seven matches.
Javier Aguirre’s side have only scored six times in the league this season but have been impressive down the other end, conceding just eight, which is just one more than the champions Real Madrid.
Mallorca finished 16th in La Liga last season after being promoted from the Segunda Division on 2020-21, and they are aiming to make it three straight campaigns in the Spanish top flight for the first time since 2013.
Elche vs Mallorca head to head
These two teams have previously met on 10 occasions across all competitions, where Elche have claimed two victories while Mallorca have won three, and they have drawn in five. They have each scored 10 goals in the process. In their last five meetings, Elche have won one while they have drawn four.
Elche 0-0 Mallorca 15/04/18
Elche 1-1 Mallorca 16/09/22
Mallorca 1-1 Elche 03/03/19
Mallorca 2-2 Elche 07/11/21
Elche 3-0 Mallorca 16/04/22
Elche latest home form
Elche have recently failed to keep a good run of form at home, having won just one of their six most recent matches. They were beaten 4-1 with Athletic Bilbao in their last home game in the league. In their last five mstches, they have scored four goals and conceded eight.
Elche 2-1 Leganes 23/07/22
Elche 0-1 Ibiza 02/08/22
Elche 1-1 Almeria 22/08/22
Elche 0-1 Real Sociedad 27/08/22
Elche 1-4 Athletic Bilbao 11/09/22
Elche latest away form
Elche have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having won just one of their six most recent matches. They lost 2-1 to Rayo Vallecano in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored four goals and conceded 12.
La Nucia 0-3 Elche 07/08/22
Real Betis 3-0 Elche 15/08/22
Villarreal 4-0 Elche 04/09/22
Barcelona 3-0 Elche 17/09/22
Rayo Vallecano 2-1 Elche 03/10/22
Mallorca latest home form
Mallorca have recently kept a mixed run of form at home, as they have won just two of their five most recent matches. They were beaten 1-0 by Barcelona in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored four goals and also conceded four.
Mallorca 1-0 Sporting Gijon 27/07/22
Mallorca 1-2 Real Betis 20/08/22
Mallorca 1-1 Girona 03/09/22
Mallorca 1-0 Almeria 17/09/22
Mallorca 0-1 Barcelona 01/10/22
Mallorca latest away form
Mallorca were beaten 4-1 by Real Madrid in their last away game in the league. However, they have recently been on a relatively good run of form on the road, having been unbeaten in their previous seven games. In their last five matches, they have scored four goals and conceded five.
Napoli 1-1 Mallorca 31/07/22
Ibiza 0-0(P) Mallorca 07/08/22
Athletic Bilbao 0-0 Mallorca 15/08/22
Rayo Vallecano 0-2 Mallorca 27/08/22
Real Madrid 4-1 Mallorca 11/09/22
Elche news
Elche will again be without Gonzalo Verdu due to suspension, while Omar Mascarell and Javier Pastore remain on the sidelines through injury.
Tete Morente will potentially come into a forward area, while Pere Milla is also pushing for a start, with Raul Guti retaining his spot in the middle of midfield.
Mallorca news
Dominik Greif remains unavailable for selection for Mallorca due to a hip problem, while a muscular problem will also rule Tino Kadawere out of the contest.
Lee Kang-in should again be supporting Vedat Moriqi in the final third of the field, while Matija Nastasic is pushing to come into the starting lineup.
Prediction and Odds
Elche’s losing run will eventaully end at some point, with this contest an opportunity to turn around their fortunes and get their campaign up and running.
Mallorca rarely concede, but they have scored just six goals this season, so we are backing for a narrow away victory or a draw.
Odds: 1 2.30 X 2.05 2 2.20
Probable outcomes
Elche 0-1 Mallorca
Elche 0-2 Mallorca
Elche 1-2 Mallorca
Elche 0-0 Mallorca
Elche 1-1 Mallorca
