21 September 2021, 14:19 | 28 August 2021, 15:29
The Spanish LaLiga Santander fixture, Villarreal CF vs Elche CF, kicks off at 21:00 (GMT+1) on Wednesday, September 22 at El Madrigal.
Preview Villarreal La Liga, Sep 22, 2021
Preview Villarreal picked up a goalless draw in Sunday’s game against Mallorca at Son Moix Stadium. The club took 11 shots, with 3 on target, but lacked the quality to produce the final product despite having 66% of the ball and making 551 passes. It was the fourth draw in a row for Villarreal: DDDD, leaving the Yellow Submarine in 15th place while having 4 points after four games, 0W, 4D, & 0L. Having had the game for Matchday 4 postponed due to international scheduling and the UEFA Champions League, the Yellow Submarine have a game in hand. Unai Emery will aim for his first La Liga victory this season when his side welcomes Elche to El Madrigal. The opposition sits three spots above Villarreal, separated by two points. Unai could opt for the conventional 4—4—2 formation or utilize the 4—3—3 with Dia in the middle of the attacking trio. Samuel Chukwueze has failed to feature in any of Villarreal's games since Matchday 1 and remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. He is set to miss this fixture against Elche on Wednesday. With the exception of the Nigerian forward, Unai Emery will have a fully fit squad available for selection.
Preview Elche La Liga, Sep 22, 2021
Preview Meanwhile, the visitors, Elche, picked up a point in the 1-1 draw against Levante on Saturday at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero. Levante started on the front foot and almost established the lead in the ninth minute. José Luis Morales had the defender beaten with a cut back before forcing a save out of Elche’s goalkeeper. Three minutes after the half-hour mark, Lucas Perez (33’) put Elche in the lead. After a few more chances at both ends, both sides walked off the pitch at the break with Elche in the lead. But Elche failed to hold on to the narrow advantage, leaving José Luis Morales (55’) to secure the leveler. The draw leaves Elche with 6 points and in 12th place after five games: DLDWD. Fran Escribá will aim for the second win of the season when his side visits El Madrigal on Wednesday, knowing Villarreal are struggling. In the game against Levante, the 56-year-old adopted a dynamic 3—5—2 formation, leaving Darío Benedetto and Perez in an attacking partnership. A similar formation with the same personnel is expected on Wednesday. Perez has two goals for the club this season. On injuries, Pedro Bigas remains sidelined with a knee injury and is expected to rejoin the squad in mid-November.