Elche vs Real Betis Prediction: Le Celso features in our Bet Builder Double

Our La Liga betting expert started his season at the weekend with two winners from two in his Mallorca vs Barcelona Predictions piece - although Barca left it late to grab that third goal to bring home the Over 2.5 part of his first bet!

He looks to keep that good run going on Monday night as he makes his Elche vs Real Betis Predictions in his full match preview here on Betfred Insights...

You can check out all of the Football Odds we offer over at betfred.com

The Monday night action on the opening matchday in La Liga comes from the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero. Elche are back in the top flight, after winning automatic promotion from the Segunda División, and they kick off with a home game against Real Betis. 

Elche's last season at this level was one to forget. They won just five matches and finished rock bottom on 25 points in 2022/23, and it wasn't an easy transition to life back in the second tier, with an 11th-place finish in the 2023/24 Segunda División. 

Enter Eder Sarabia to help transform the fortunes of Los Franjiverdes. The Basque coach had been sacked by minnows Andorra only a few months earlier, with his team bottom of the league, so it was a surprising appointment on some levels, although Sarabia would quickly silence any of his early doubters. 

As a former assistant to Quique Setién at Las Palmas, Betis and Barcelona, Sarabia has a very clear football philosophy, with a strong preference for possession-based football. He swiftly instilled those principles on his new team, and Elche's fortunes improved during an excellent campaign which saw them win over 50% of their fixtures on their way to a second-place finish. 

As well as comfortably the highest possession figures in the league (61.5%), Elche also boasted the best defensive record with only 34 goals conceded. 

They will look to play the same way in the top flight, nd it's going to be very interesting to see how successful their distinctive style will be at a higher level. Their challenge is made all the harder by the summer sales of key midfielders Nicolás Fernández Mercau and Nicolás Castro, but those departures for a combined €13m have at least freed up some funds for fresh additions. 

Seven signings have been made so far, with a focus on young talent, including 22-year-old forward Álvaro Rodríguez who has joined from Real Madrid, while midfielder Federico Redondo has moved to the club from Inter Miami. 

Elche's pre-season results have been mixed with four wins and four defeats, but the same could be said of Betis who beat Premier League new boys Sunderland earlier this month, although they've since suffered friendly defeats to Como and Málaga, conceding three goals in both games. 

The Andalusians enjoyed a terrific second half to last season. With Isco back to full fitness, Jesús Rodríguez emerging as a bright talent on the left flank, and loanee Antony making a huge impact on the right, they posed a real attacking threat in just about every game. Manuel Pellegrini's side made it all the way to the Conference League final, where they lost to Chelsea, whilst also going well in La Liga as they secured a sixth-place finish. 

However, less than three months on from their trip to Poland to take on the Blues, the Betis boss finds himself needing to restructure virtually his entire attack yet again. 

Rodríguez has been sold to ambitious Italian club Como for €22.5m, while attempts to sign up Antony for another season have so far failed. With talisman Isco sidelined through injury once again, it's clear that at least initially, Betis are not going to be as strong as they were in the back end of last season, with midfielder Johnny Cardoso another major departee following his €24m switch to Atlético Madrid. 

Team News:  

Elche are missing three players due to injury, with Bambo Diaby, Yago Santiago and Adam Boayar all sidelined. Josan Ferrández is also a doubt, which is significant given the 34-year-old created more goals than any other Elche player last term, with nine assists.  

Sarabia is expected to start with centre-backs and wing-backs in a system which typically takes the shape of a 3-4-1-2, with Aleix Febas expected to operate behind the two strikers.  

As for Betis, Pellegrini should stick with his usual 4-2-3-1 system, although we may see as many as eight changes from the side that started their last competitive game against Chelsea in May.  

There'll certainly be a new face in goal where recent additions Pau López and Álvaro Valles are involved in a close fight for the starting role. Junior Firpo has also returned to the club this summer and could start at left-back, while new signing Rodrigo Riquelme and teenager Pablo García are expected to be the wingers.  

Aside from Isco, who has suffered a fresh fibula fracture, Betis are also missing Marc Roca, Abde Ez and Diego Llorente to injuries.  

Match Odds

Despite all the summer changes, Betis are still the 6/5 favourites to start the new season with three points. Elche are priced at 12/5 to make it a dream return to the top flight, while you can back the Draw at 9/4.  

There was normally no shortage of entertainment during games involving Pellegrini's side last term and Over 2.5 goals is available at 11/10 here. You can also back Betis to win and Over 2.5 goals at 13/5, while the visitors are priced at 5/4 to score over 1.5 goals in the match. 

If you're expecting the hosts to be competitive, Elche or Draw is priced at 4/6, while you can take advantage of a Price Boost and back Elche to win or draw, 4+ goals and Álvaro Rodríguez to score at 11/1. 

Elche's new striker is also available at 13/5 to score anytime, but it's Betis forward Cucho Hernández who leads the running in that market, with the Colombian priced at 15/8 to get on the scoresheet. 

*You can check out all the latest and live Elche vs Real Betis Odds over on betfred.com

Bet 1 - Both teams to score @ 10/11  

This fixture features two coaches who both like their teams to pass the ball and control the game by being in possession. While both are having to adapt to new circumstances, with Elche in a different league, and Betis with a much-changed squad, Sarabia and Pellegrini should both set their teams out to attack and try to win this game. 

On some levels, Elche may enjoy coming up against more teams who take risks and leave them space this season, but it's hard to see their excellent defensive record from the Segunda División continuing, given the quality of forward players is much higher in this league. 

They'll experience that right from the off here. Betis still have real quality in attacking areas with Hernández and Giovani Lo Celso both major goal threats, and I'm backing Both teams to score at 10/11, a winning bet in all of the last 12 competitive games involving the Seville club. 

Bet 2 - Over 1.5 goals & Giovani Lo Celso 1+ shots on target @ 11/10 

The visitors could be vulnerable in the full-back areas in this game, while they'll miss Cardoso's controlling influence at the base of the midfield. 

The main beneficiary of Isco's injury is likely to be Lo Celso, who should slot into his favoured number 10 role, where he excelled at the beginning of last season. He scored in four consecutive La Liga matches soon after returning to the club in 2024, and the Argentine is certainly one to watch in this game. 

I can see him at least testing the Elche keeper, and I'm using the Bet Builder to back Over 1.5 goals and Giovani Lo Celso 1+ shots on target at 11/10.