- Espanyol have won one, drawn one and lost three of their last five matches.
- Elche have won none, drawn two and lost three of their last five contests.
Espanyol to edge five-way fixture
Elche's away record is zero wins in two LaLiga 2026/2027 fixtures (1 draw, 1 defeat) and they will struggle to break that streak at RCDE Stadium against a solid Espanyol side on Friday.
The home side are the firm favourites at 91/100, Elche 3/1 and the draw 47/20 ahead of this matchup that has produced three Espanyol wins and two draws in the last five meetings, with the Franjiverdes still seeking their first win in that run.
Manolo Gonzalez has had the Pericos organised since March 2024 and their results may be a little disappointing so far, but his compact, counter-pressing team is built to hit on the break and take advantage of space on the flanks.
Franjiverdes have some fresh ideas
Martín Anselmi has had time to implement some new ideas since he took over at Elche in July 2026 and they look to play a possession-based game with a higher press and more structure in their build-up.
A 1-2 home loss to Real Madrid was a loss, but they have not been able to maintain any momentum since then.
The visitors have lost their next three without a win in the league - 0-5 at home to Barcelona, 3-2 away to Racing Santander and 2-3 at home to Real Sociedad. And Elche are still seeking their first away win of the season with only one point from four games.
Draw in the odds
Espanyol's counter-press should suit the way they will be approached here and we believe they have enough to win this game against an Elche team that are struggling to find their rhythm. But there is enough to like about Anselmi's plans for us to edge towards the draw in the match odds, especially given that Elche are always competitive and Tete Morente has added a bit of creativity to their team. Back the home team to nick this one, 2-1, and take the under 2.5 goals bet at 73/100, which looks lively given how much the hosts will dominate possession and Elche's lack of goals.
