Overview
Real Madrid just created a big advantage against Manchester City in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16, when Federico Valverde scored an impressive hat-trick to help the Royal team win convincingly.
Thanks to that, Real Madrid is in a favorable position to win a ticket to the quarter-finals before entering the second leg in Manchester next week. However, ahead of coach Alvaro Arbeloa's team is a task in La Liga, where they are trying to narrow the gap with Barcelona in the championship race.
In the most recent round, Real Madrid defeated Celta Vigo 2-1 and is currently ranked second in the standings, 4 points behind Barcelona. This makes the upcoming match at Santiago Bernabeu particularly important as Real needs all 3 points to continue to chase the top spot.
Head-to-head history is clearly leaning towards Real Madrid. The Royal team has only lost 6 out of 54 encounters with Elche in all competitions, and has never lost to this opponent at the Bernabeu.
All 6 victories of Elche against Real Madrid took place at home, and the last time they defeated the capital team was in March 1978. However, Elche once created a surprise when they drew Real Madrid 2-2 at the Bernabeu in January 2022, while the first leg between the two teams this season also ended with a score of 2-2.
Elche's current form is not very positive. Coach Eder Sarabia's team just lost to Villarreal 1-2 and has not had a win since the last match of 2025, making 2026 a difficult start for them.
After 27 rounds in La Liga this season, Elche has a record of 5 wins, 11 draws and 11 losses, ranking 17th with 26 points - only one point ahead of Mallorca in 18th place.
The relegation battle in La Liga is becoming extremely tense in the final stage of the season. Therefore, if they can create a shock against Real Madrid this weekend, it will be a huge morale boost for Elche.
Personnel situation
Real Madrid will suffer significant personnel losses before the La Liga match this weekend. Defender Ferland Mendy had to leave the field after the first half in the match against Man City in the Champions League and his hamstring injury has been confirmed.
In addition to Mendy, Real Madrid is also missing a series of key players. Eder Militao and Jude Bellingham (both hamstring injuries), Dani Ceballos (calf), Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo (knee) will not be able to play. Meanwhile, Franco Mastantuono is suspended.
The condition of Alvaro Carreras and David Alaba is still unclear because both are having problems with their calves.
Arbeloa is likely to make four changes in the starting lineup compared to the match against Man City. Raul Asencio, Fran Garcia, Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Carvajal are expected to start from the beginning, replacing Antonio Rudiger, Mendy, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Thiago Pitarch.
On Elche's side, defender Hector Fort is still unable to return due to a shoulder injury. Pedro Bigas and John Donald also leave open the possibility of playing.
In attack, Alvaro Rodriguez is likely to be given the opportunity to start when returning to Bernabeu. Andre Silva is expected to continue to be present in Elche's attacking squad, while center-back David Affengruber - a player who is attracting attention from many big clubs - will take on the role in defense.
Expected lineup:
Real Madrid: Courtois, Carvajal, Asencio, Huijsen, F. Garcia. Valverde, Camavinga, Tchouameni, Guler, Vinicius, Brahim.
Dituro, Chust, Affengruber, Petrot, Josan, Febas, Aguado, Valera, Neto, A. Silva, Rodriguez.
The match between Real Madrid and Elche takes place at 3:00 AM on March 15 (Vietnam time).
