Elche vs Villarreal Prediction and Betting Tips | January 3rd 2026

Elche will entertain Villarreal at the Estadio Martínez Valero in La Liga on Saturday. The hosts have five wins from 17 league games and are ninth in the league table with 22 points. El Submarino Amarillo have fared much better with 11 wins and are fifth with 35 points.

Los Franjiverdes have seen conclusive results in their last four league games. They overcame Rayo Vallecano 4-0 at home in their final match of 2025 last month. Héctor Fort broke the deadlock in the sixth minute, while Álvaro Rodríguez, Germán Valera, and Martim Neto added goals after the break.

The visitors met Barcelona in their previous outing and suffered a 2-0 away defeat, ending their unbeaten run in La Liga after seven games. They also failed to score for the first time since September in the league in that loss.

Elche vs Villarreal Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

• The two teams have crossed paths 21 times in all competitions. They have been evenly matched in these games, with seven wins for each side and seven games ending in draws.
• They last met in the 2022-23 La Liga season, and both teams secured home wins.
• Four of the last five meetings between them have produced over 2.5 goals.
• Villarreal have won their last three La Liga away games while keeping two clean sheets.
• Elche have an unbeaten home record this season, with all five of their league wins coming at home.
• The hosts have played seven draws in the league this season, with only Real Betis (8) drawing more games.
• The visitors have scored at least two goals in seven of their last eight league outings.
• El Submarino Amarillo have lost their last three games in all competitions, with two coming at home.

Elche vs Villarreal Prediction

Los Franjiverdes have seen an uptick in form, winning four of their last five games in all competitions, though two wins were registered in the Copa del Rey. They have kept three clean sheets in that period. They are unbeaten in their last four home games against the visitors, recording two consecutive wins.

Héctor Fort was injured during his goal celebration last month and will miss this match. André Silva will also sit this one out, while John Chetauya is a major doubt.

El Submarino Amarillo have lost their last three games, conceding seven goals, and will look to improve upon that record. They have lost two of their last three meetings against the hosts, failing to score once.

Renato Veiga and Tajon Buchanan will serve suspensions here, while Pape Gueye and Ilias Akhomach are at the Africa Cup of Nations. Logan Costa and Pau Cabanes are long-term absentees, while Thomas Partey and Willy Kambwala are major doubts.

Los Franjiverdes are unbeaten at home in the league this season, with 16 of their 23 goals coming at home. With that in mind, and considering their recent home record against the visitors, we back them to eke out a narrow win.

Prediction: Elche 2-1 Villarreal

Elche vs Villarreal Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result - Elche to win

Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals

Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes

Tip 4: At least one goal to be scored in the second half - Yes

Edited by Shubham Dupare