The Round of 16 match in the Spanish Cup between Elche and Atletico Madrid will take place on January 15 at the Martinez Valero Stadium. Elche vs. Atletico Madrid: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Predicted lineups for Elche vs. Atletico Madrid
Elche (3-4-2-1): Miguel San-Roman – Jose Salinas, David Affengruber, Bambo Diaby – Iago Santiago, Nicolas Castro, Aleix Febas, Alvaro Nunez – Nicolas Mercau, Agustin Alvarez – Rodri Mendoza.
Atletico Madrid (4-4-2): Juan Musso – Clement Lenglet, Robin Le Normand, Javi Galan, Nahuel Molina – Pablo Barrios, Rodrigo De Paul, Giuliano Simeone, Conor Gallagher – Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez.
The starting lineup for each team in their previous match in this tournament is listed.
Elche
The Valencians advanced to the Round of 16 in the Spanish Cup without conceding a goal, defeating all their opponents with clean sheets. In the first two stages, the team easily overcame lower-league opponents – CD Coria (3-0) and Yeclano (1-0). In the last round, they unexpectedly thrashed La Liga side Las Palmas 4-0. Last season, Elche was halted at the Round of 32, losing to Girona (0-2).
- At least one team failed to score in regular time in 8 of the club's last 9 matches in the Copa del Rey.
- In the last 16 matches in this tournament, Elche has only drawn once in 90 minutes (12 wins and 3 draws).
- The Valencians have not won in regular time in 8 of their last 10 home games in this cup (4 draws and 4 losses).
Atletico Madrid
The capital club played all three previous rounds of the tournament away. Their opponents were from the third division or lower of Spain. Without much effort, Atletico defeated Vic (2-0), Cacereno (3-1), and Marbella (1-0). Atletico is a 10-time winner of the Copa del Rey but last won the trophy in 2013. Last season, Diego Simeone's team reached the semifinals but lost to Athletic Bilbao in a two-legged tie (0-1 and 0-3).
- In the last 13 matches in this tournament, Atletico has only lost twice in regular time (9 wins and 2 draws).
- One of the teams failed to score in 90 minutes in 5 of Atletico's last 6 Copa del Rey matches.
- No more than three goals were scored in regular time in 8 of the club's last 11 matches in this cup.
Elche vs. Atletico Madrid: Match Prediction
Despite Atletico being clear favorites in this matchup, the hosts have a chance not to lose in regular time. Elche is among the top six in the Segunda Division and has a chance to return to La Liga after two years. The team boasts one of the best defensive lines in their league. Eder Sarabia's side can prevent their opponents from scoring more than two goals, especially since the capital club may try to progress without exerting maximum effort.
In their last 19 Copa del Rey matches, the Valencians have never lost by a large margin, and they have only lost by two goals twice in this series. Atletico has shown a lukewarm attitude towards the Copa del Rey in recent seasons and hasn't played in the final since 2013. There's a high chance that they could be eliminated early in this edition, particularly with Diego Simeone's team having a chance to win La Liga – they are among the leaders after the first half of the season. Extra matches in the Cup could be an unnecessary burden in the coming months as they fight in both La Liga and the Champions League.
My prediction – Atletico Madrid Individual Total Under 2
