Elche vs Barcelona Predictions

• Elche scored home and away against each of the top six, including two 3-1 defeats against Barca
• The hosts scored in 17 of their 19 home matches last term
• Barcelona won 31 of 28 league games last season

Barca backed for victory

Barcelona are strong favourites to retain their Spanish title, and they are expected to open their campaign with a routine victory at Elche on Sunday.

Barcelona have scored three or more goals in each of the last four meetings between the two sides, and they finished last term with a league-high 95 strikes.

Signing Rodri should help Barcelona at both ends of the pitch, but with the Spanish international set to miss the first few weeks of the season, Barca could be vulnerable defensively once again.

Elche failed to score in only two of their 19 home matches last term, and they were able to find the net home and away to each of the top six teams in La Liga.

Elche opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw at Deportivo, and they created 1.23 Expected Goals in that trip. They scored in home and away defeats to Barcelona last season, and the Catalan side conceded in 14 of 19 league away days last term.

Barca’s academy could deliver again in this opener, with 18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim impressing in preseason. The forward scored four goals in four starts this summer, and he could lead the line with Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres departing in the transfer window.