La Liga: Elche vs Real Betis! With numerous issues in their midfield and attack, how much strength does the away team still have left?

Let’s start with our first match todayLa Liga: Elche vs Real Betis!

Elche’s first game back in La Liga at home is against Betis? The league’s scheduling is really something.

Perhaps Betis isn’t worried about playing a team fighting relegation, but for Elche,meeting their old foes again is bound to be intense.Indeed!

But Betis’s squad seems to have some issues, so does Elche have a shot at payback?

Elche was quite dissatisfied with losing twice to Betis in the 22/23 season.

In the 22/23 season, Betis’s home opener saw Elche get a straight red card within the first ten minutes—a questionable decision. But since it was Betis’s debut, everyone accepted a little home advantage; it was understandable.

However, when it was Elche’s turn to host, during a crucial relegation battle, they actuallyreceived three red cards in one match(one was given to Cheikh on the bench, so many sources only show two red cards), and thenBetis was awarded three penalties, turning Elche’s 2-0 lead into a 2-3 defeat, which infuriated Elche.

The club owner personally criticized the referee, the general manager vented his frustration, and the sporting director kept swearing until the police intervened.

One thing to note here:Betis isn’t exactly innocent either; they’re quite skilled at rough play themselves.

That season,Elche had the third-most red cards, while Betis topped the list. So it’s a case of the pot calling the kettle black—neither side is particularly gentle.

You can see Betis’s style even in friendlies. Just a few days ago, against Como in a friendly, they managed toturn the match into a boxing contest, and notably,it was Betis midfielder Fornals who started the fight. This team really knows how to mix things up.

So, being treated like that in a crucial relegation moment made Elche furious—not only did they lose a 2-0 lead, but those three red cards also impacted their following matches.

Now, after two years in the Segunda, Elche is finally back in La Liga. Facing Betis again in their home opener, Elche will surely be motivated.

But Betis’s lineup today seems problematic, especially in attack and midfield.

Starting with the attack:

The team captain, who is alsothe top scorer and assist leader, Isco, suffered a fracture during the August 10th friendly and is expected to be out for three months—a huge blow.

Last season’s breakout star “Yuan Shen” Antony is still negotiating and remains at Manchester United for now.

And the two most promising young forwards are unavailable—one recalled, the other injured. Betis, an aging squad, really needs that youthful spark.

There are also significant concerns in midfield:

Of their six natural midfielders, three are definitely out and not even on the squad list.

Among the three healthy players, Lo Celso is injury-prone, while their second most valuable player, rising star Altimira, may not be able to play the full match.

A team that relies on three midfielders might not even have enough fit professionals? That’s a considerable loss of strength.

It’s worth noting: Elche started preparing for the new season very early, playing eight friendlies—one of the highest in the top five leagues—which clearly shows their determination.

Meanwhile, Betis began their preparations late, and their recent friendlies have been marred by incidents: a fan suffered cardiac arrest, their captain broke his bone, and a match turned into a brawl. These distractions disrupted their preseason rhythm. With all the fighting, how can a friendly be played normally? Their overall preparation has definitely been affected.

Given all these squad issues, even though Betis is much more famous and their squad value is nearly five times that of Elche, is the gap really that wide today?

So, can Elche satisfy their fans? What do you think? The pub is hoping they’ll at least draw, maybe even win!

Alright, for the other matches today, the pub will send out written analysis tonight. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. “Watch football and understand it”—see you soon!

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