Matchweek 1 of La Liga continues on Sunday as Elche host the defending champions Barcelona.
Barca are -320 favorites on the moneyline for this one on DraftKings Sportsbook, with a draw available at +475. Fancy an Elche upset? They are +700 to pick up three points.
Elche vs. Barcelona Prediction, Pick
This bet can be found under the “Match Parlays” tab. Barcelona will be going for their third consecutive La Liga title this season, and that journey starts on Sunday as they visit Elche. Barca have had a lot of recent success against Elche, winning each of the last 13 matchups between the teams. In each of the last seven of those wins, three or more goals were scored.
Barcelona were a scoring machine a season ago, netting 95 times in only 38 games. They scored 18 more goals than any other team.
They lost Robert Lewandowski this summer to the Chicago Fire, but made some important signings such as Rodri, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi. Although it’s unclear if Rodri plays in this game due to the completion of his transfer and a lingering back injury, Barcelona should still have more than enough to win. The clear issue for them at the moment is a lack of a replacement for Lewandowski. I would assume they are going to add a striker before the end of the transfer window. Ferran Torres also left the club to go to PSG, leaving a gaping hole up front for the champions.
Regardless of transfer talk, Barca have enough to pick up where they left off at the end of last season and get a convincing win here. They still have Raphinha and Yamal on the wings and an excellent midfield. Don’t expect much of a fight from Elche here, who finished 15th in La Liga a season ago.
