Real Madrid vs Elche – News and Probable Lineups

Real Madrid will be looking to close the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona to just one point when they host struggling Elche at the Bernabeu on Saturday evening.

The Blancos currently sit in second place in the La Liga standings, trailing the reigning champions by four points, whereas Elche occupies the 17th position, just one point adrift of the relegation zone.

Match overview

Real Madrid approaches this fixture with confidence after an impressive showing against Manchester City in the Champions League, where they secured a 3-0 victory over Pep Guardiola’s team in the first leg of their round of 16 matchup, thanks to a stunning hat-trick from Federico Valverde.

Given their current form, Los Blancos are in a robust position to advance to the tournament’s quarter-finals, with the second leg scheduled for next week in Manchester. However, their attention has now shifted back to Spain’s top division, where they seek to catch up with Barcelona.

In their last league outing, Alvaro Arbeloa’s team triumphed 2-1 over Celta Vigo, maintaining their place in second on the table, trailing Barcelona by four points, underscoring the necessity of claiming all three points in Saturday’s clash at Bernabeu.

It’s worth noting that Real Madrid has suffered two home league defeats this season, which makes them cautious about the potential threats Elche might pose this weekend.

Nevertheless, Los Blancos have only lost six of their last 54 encounters with Elche in all competitions and have never been defeated by Los Franjiverdes at their home ground, Bernabeu.

Elche has secured all six of their prior victories against Real Madrid at home, with their last triumph over the mighty Madrid team occurring in March 1978.

Nonetheless, Elche did manage to hold Real Madrid to a 2-2 draw at Bernabeu in January 2022, and their previous match this season also ended in a 2-2 stalemate.

Los Franjiverdes experienced a 2-1 loss to Villarreal last time out and have not tasted victory since their last match of 2025, leading to a dismal start to 2026.

So far this season, Eder Sarabia’s team has recorded five wins, 11 draws, and 11 defeats over their 27 league fixtures, placing them in 17th position with 26 points, just one point clear of 18th-placed Mallorca.

The concluding phase of the campaign promises to be a thrilling fight for survival, and securing an upset against Real Madrid this weekend would provide Elche with a significant morale boost.

Real Madrid La Liga form:

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Real Madrid form (all competitions):

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Elche La Liga form:

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Team News

Ferland Mendy had to be substituted during Real Madrid’s Champions League encounter against Manchester City, placing his availability in doubt for this matchup.

Eder Militao (hamstring), Jude Bellingham (hamstring), Dani Ceballos (calf), Kylian Mbappe (knee), Rodrygo (knee), and Franco Mastantuono (suspended) will all miss out on Saturday’s fixture.

Additionally, Alvaro Carreras (calf) and David Alaba (calf) are both uncertain.

Head coach Arbeloa may implement up to four changes from the lineup that faced Manchester City at the onset, with Raul Asencio, Fran Garcia, Eduardo Camavinga, and Dani Carvajal likely to replace Antonio Rudiger, Mendy, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Thiago Pitarch.

For Elche, on-loan Barcelona defender Hector Fort remains sidelined due to a shoulder injury, while Pedro Bigas and John Donald are both questionable.

Alvaro Rodriguez represented Real Madrid from 2020 to 2025 and is anticipated to occupy a position in the attacking third at Bernabeu.

Andre Silva is also poised to retain his place in the attack, while David Affengruber, who seems to be attracting interest from several prominent clubs, will feature in defense.

Real Madrid probable starting XI:

Courteous; Carvajal, Asencio, Huijsen, F Garcia; Valverde, Camavinga, Tchouameni; Guler; Vinicius, Brahim

Elche probable starting XI:

Dituro; Chust, Affengruber, Petrot; Josan, Febas, Aguado, Valera; Neto; To Silva, Rodriguez

Elche is likely to be the more rested of the two teams, as Real Madrid was engaged in a demanding Champions League match against Manchester City on Wednesday. However, Los Blancos should be able to secure the win at home and earn a crucial three points.