Barcelona will meet Elche on Saturday after playing the last match of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, when the team coached by Hansi Flick ended up in the top eight and avoided the playoffs, contrary to their LaLiga rivals Real Madrid that lost to Benfica. Barcelona are one point ahead of Real Madrid and need to win on Saturday to increase their gap to the competitors, as mentioned by Flick in the pre-game press conference. “In the first-round match, they had more possession of the ball. Eder Sarabia has done a fantastic job and I like the way his team plays. They are brave and create a lot of chances. I enjoy analyzing them and watching how they play. There is still a long way to go until the end of the season and we have to take it game by game…LaLiga is a great competition and we will fight until the end, just as Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid or Villarreal will.”
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the game:
How to watch Elche vs. Barcelona, odds
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 31 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero — Elche
- Live stream: ESPN+
- Odds: Elche +638; Draw +464; Barcelona -287
Possible lineups
Elche XI: Inaki Pena; Victor Chust, David Affengruber, Pedro Bigas, German Valera, Adria Pedrosa; Grady Diangana, Marc Aguado, Martim Neto; Alvaro Rodriguez, Andre Silva.
Barcelona XI: Joan Garcia; Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Alejandro Balde; Frenkie de Jong, Marc Bernal; Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Raphinha; Robert Lewandowski.
Prediction
Pick: Barcelona 3, Elche 0.
