La Liga Betting – Elche vs. Real Madrid

Elche (+1600) vs. Real Madrid (-550) (Draw +600)

After covering a -1 handicap in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 against Schalke (0-2), Real Madrid will face Elche today at Manuel Martinez Valero Stadium. The kick-off will be at 3:00 p.m. Eastern.

These teams have only met three times in La Liga, yet a significant trend is already emerging. Madrid are a perfect 3-0-0 and have outscored Elche 10-2.

Unsurprisingly, Los Merengues come in as heavy favorites to win today, sitting at -550 in the moneyline (and -2 in the handicap). On the other side, Elche are +1600, and the draw is +600.

There are also some interesting props available for this game. In the odds to score the first goal, Cristiano Ronaldo is the favorite at +200, followed by Karim Benzema at +300 and Gareth Bale +333. For Elche, the favorite to score first is Panamanian Jairo Jimenez (+1400).

One notable name missing from that list is Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez. The Golden Boot winner from the 2014 World Cup will be out for at least two more weeks with a toe injury.

James’ absence would be critical against a top team, but Madrid have a deep roster, and the likes of Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos, and (new acquisition) Lucas Silva will fill the void against Elche, just as they did against Schalke.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was particularly impressed with Silva last time out. “His fitness has improved. He imposed order and showed his personality on the pitch. He kept things very simple and had good ideas,” said Ancelotti . “His personality has surprised me. It is not easy playing for Real Madrid for the first time at 22 years of age.”

In the standings, Real Madrid are first in La Liga with 57 points (19-0-4) and a +50 goal difference. Elche are 17th with only 23 points (6-15-12) and a -21 differential.

(Photo credit: El Coleccionista de Instant (flickr) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode]. Photo may appear cropped.)