Second-placed Real Madrid will look to build on their recent win when they hit the road to face a struggling Elche outfit.
Winless after their first five league games, Elche will be desperate to secure all three points against Real Madrid at home. However, taking down the title contenders, who have had a promising start to the campaign, won’t be easy.
The home team are 19th on the table with two points in their five outings. While they started the season with a draw, Elche lost three in a row against Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Real Sociedad before playing out a 1-1 draw against Athletic Club.
While the results haven’t really gone their way, they have shown a lot of promise and a better defensive performance could actually give them a chance of taking something from this home game.
Los Blancos started the season with three straight wins in the league, but they suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of Real Betis. Despite dominating the game, they ended up on the losing side.
They have bounced back with a 2-1 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League and have backed it up with a 4-1 thrashing of Rayo Vallecano. The team in white will be confident about building on these results and keeping the pressure on leaders Barcelona.
The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Elche
Yago Santiago (knee) has made great progress, and he is closing in on a return, but this fixture is a touch too early for him. Summer signing Kevin Lomonaco could finally be a part of the matchday squad.
They do not have any fresh injuries to worry about, which means Elche have almost a full squad to choose from.
Elche are expected to line up in a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Matias Dituro starting between the sticks. Buba Sangare and Roy Revivo should feature as the full-backs, while Federico Redondo is likely to partner Victor Chust in the heart of the defence.
In midfield, German Valera and Tete Morente should take charge on the flanks, providing support on both ends. Javi Morcillo and Gonzalo Villar should form the central midfield pairing; the duo will look to ensure Real Madrid midfielders do not enjoy too much easy possession.
Thomas Lemar could operate just behind Fer Nino, who will lead the line for Elche. The two attacking players will look to combine effectively and create problems for the opposition defence.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1): Dituro; Sangare, Redondo, Chust, Revivo; Valera, Morcillo, Villar, Morente; Lemar; Nino
Real Madrid
While Raul Asencio, Thiago Pitarch, and Endrick are back in the mix, the team in white remain without the services of Eder Militao (thigh), Ferland Mendy (ligament), and Rodrygo (cruciate ligament) because of injury.
Real Madrid are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Thibaut Courtois starting between the sticks. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marc Cucurella should feature as the full-backs, while Ibrahima Konate is likely to partner Dean Huijsen in the heart of the defence.
In midfield, Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni should form the double pivot. The duo will look to protect the backline while also helping Real Madrid control possession and dictate the tempo of the game.
Arda Guler and Vinicius Junior should take charge on the flanks, while Jude Bellingham could take up the number ten role behind Kylian Mbappe, who will continue to lead the line for Los Blancos.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Valverde, Tchouameni; Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe
Key Stats
- Kylian Mbappe has six goals in his five league outings. He is the first to score six in five games since Karim Benzema in 2021-22.
- Real Madrid have dominated this fixture historically, securing 36 wins from their 55 meetings with Elche, while 13 encounters have ended level.
- Elche have only beaten Los Blancos six times, with their most recent victory coming in a 3-1 win back in 1978.
- Real Madrid are unbeaten in their last 19 meetings with Elche across all competitions.
- The two sides drew 2-2 in Elche in their first La Liga meeting last season, before Real Madrid claimed a 4-1 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Player to Watch
Jude Bellingham
Bellingham has made a very promising start to the season under new boss Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese manager has ensured that the English international gets a lot more freedom going forward, and it has worked wonders for them.
In just five league outings, the 23-year-old attacking midfielder has three goals and three assists. He has been one of their most influential players in the initial phase, and Mourinho will hope his star midfielder continues to produce such numbers.
Prediction
Elche 0-4 Real Madrid
Elche have shown enough promise despite their poor start to the campaign, but facing Real Madrid will be a completely different challenge. The hosts could make things difficult if they remain organised defensively, but their inability to secure a league win so far makes it difficult to see them getting anything from this contest.
Real Madrid have bounced back strongly from their defeat to Real Betis and will head into this fixture with plenty of confidence after consecutive wins over Inter Milan and Rayo Vallecano. Mourinho’s men have superior quality across the pitch and should be able to dominate possession and create plenty of chances.
Elche could struggle to contain the visitors’ attacking options, and Real Madrid should eventually secure a comfortable victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 4-0 win for the away team.