LaLiga 26/27 · Round 9 ·
Villarreal CF vs Elche CF preview: Villarreal host Elche with both sides chasing a first win in weeks
Villarreal welcome Elche to Estadio de la Ceramica with the home side sitting 11th and the visitors 18th after eight rounds. The clearest signal in the data is Elche's stronger away defence, which concedes 1.5 goals per match on the road against Villarreal's 2.0 at home.
By 10xSharp · Published
This preview was published before kickoff. The match has finished: see the result and full stats.
Who is missing
Villarreal are without three players, including forward Nicolas Pepe, who is out with an injury. Pepe has scored 2 goals, 15% of the side's goals in this competition. Fellow forward Tajon Buchanan is also injured, and defender Alex Freeman is unavailable. Elche have no players listed as unavailable for this match.
Players to watch
Elche's Fernando Nino leads the scoring threat with 5 goals in 8 matches, 45% of his side's goals in this competition. Villarreal's Pape Gueye has 3 goals in 8 matches, 23% of the team's total. Villarreal's Alberto Moleiro has 3 assists, while Elche's Lucas Cepeda and Tete Morente each have 2.
Recent form
Villarreal have taken 6 points from their last six league matches, with a record of 2 wins and 4 losses. Elche have 5 points from the same window, with 1 win, 2 draws and 3 losses. Villarreal have won their last 2 home matches, while Elche have 1 win, 2 draws and 1 loss in their last 4 away matches.
Where they stand
Villarreal sit 11th with 8 points, while Elche are 18th with 6 points. At home, Villarreal have 1 win, 0 draws and 2 losses. Elche's away record is 1 win, 2 draws and 1 loss.
Head to head
Across 10 meetings, Villarreal have won 5, Elche have won 2, and there have been 3 draws. In the 5 meetings at this ground, Villarreal have won 4, Elche have won 0, and there has been 1 draw. The most recent meeting was on 08/03/26, when Villarreal won 2-1.
Attacking threat
Elche hold a marginal attacking edge according to the baseline comparison. Villarreal score 2.0 goals per home match, better than the league average for a home side at home. Elche score 1.8 goals per away match, clearly better than the league average for an away side on the road.
Defensive solidity
Elche hold a large defensive edge. Villarreal concede 2.0 goals per home match, worse than the league average conceded by a home side at home. Elche concede 1.5 goals per away match, better than the league average conceded by an away side on the road.
Shot efficiency
Villarreal average 6.75 shots on goal per match, while Elche average 4.38. Villarreal also see more of their shots blocked, at 3.13 per match against Elche's 1.63.
When goals arrive
Villarreal score 38% of their goals between minutes 31-45, their most dangerous spell. Elche score 45% of their goals between minutes 76-90, their most dangerous spell. Elche also concede 24% of their goals in each of the 76-90 and 31-45 windows.
Goal environment
75% of Villarreal's matches this season have gone over 2.5 goals, while 62% of Elche's matches have done the same. Villarreal's home matches are the higher-scoring ones: 100% of their home matches have gone over 2.5 goals, against 60% of their away matches. Villarreal's matches are front-loaded, with 62% producing 2+ goals before half time.
What to expect
Villarreal's home attack is solid but their home defence is leaky, conceding 2.0 goals per match. Elche's away defence is stronger, conceding 1.5 goals per match, and their attack is marginally better than Villarreal's. Expect a match where Elche can stay competitive, with both sides likely to score given Villarreal's high over 2.5 goals rate at home.