Preview: Elche vs Atletico Madrid - prediction, team news, lineups

Atletico Madrid will be aiming to avoid a fourth straight defeat in Spain's top flight when they continue their league season against Elche on Wednesday evening.

Diego Simeone's side are currently fourth in the La Liga table, 11 points ahead of fifth-placed Real Betis, while Elche are 18th, one point behind 17th-placed Alaves.

Match preview

Elche have a record of seven wins, 11 draws and 13 defeats from their 31 league matches this season, with 32 points leaving them in 18th spot in the table, one point behind 17th-placed Alaves.

The Green-striped ones have actually been victorious in two of their last three league games, overcoming Mallorca and Valencia on home soil either side of a defeat to Rayo Vallecano.

Incredibly, Elche actually have the sixth-best home record in La Liga this season, picking up 28 points from 16 matches, suffering just two defeats in the process.

Eder Sarabia's side have the worst away record, though, failing to win a single match and taking just four points from 15 games, which has been their main issue during the 2025-26 campaign.

Elche have won 12 of their previous 58 matches against Atletico in all competitions, including a 1-0 success in the corresponding game during the 2022-23 campaign.

Atletico will enter this match off the back of a penalty-shootout defeat to Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final - the two teams were level at 2-2 after 120 minutes of action, but La Real got the job done on penalties to claim the trophy and leave the Red and Whites heartbroken.

Simeone's side are through to the semi-finals of the Champions League, with Arsenal their opponents in the final four, but they have incredibly lost six of their last seven matches in all competitions, including their last three in La Liga.

Not since March 14 have Atletico triumphed in the league, overcoming Getafe on home soil; since then, the capital side have lost to Real Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla, but they are still comfortable when it comes to securing Champions League football for next season.

Atletico are fourth in the table, 11 points ahead of fifth-placed Real Betis, so the league is not the priority for the Red and Whites at this stage of the season.

Simeone's side have only won four of their 15 away league matches this term, and a successful campaign is now resting on their performance in Europe.

Elche La Liga form:

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Atletico Madrid La Liga form:

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Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

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Team News

Elche will need to make checks on Adam El Mokhtari and Buba Sangare for this week's contest, but the home team do not have any other fitness problems.

Alvaro Rodriguez replaced Andre Silva off the bench against Valencia last time out, and the former could now be introduced into the starting XI for the clash with Atletico.

There is also likely to be a spot in the starting side for Lucas Cepeda, with the 23-year-old scoring the winner off the bench against Valencia.

As for Atletico, Ademola Lookman, Jose Gimenez and Alexander Sorloth will miss the match through injury, while David Hancko is a major doubt.

Head coach Simeone will make wholesale changes to the side that started the Copa del Rey final, with Jan Oblak, Clement Lenglet, Nico Gonzalez, Johnny Cardoso, Alex Baena and Javier Bona all potentially being introduced into the XI.

There could also be a spot in midfield for Rodrigo Mendoza, who made the move to Atletico from Elche in the latter stages of the winter transfer window.

Elche possible starting lineup:

Dituro; Petrot, Affengruber, Bigas; Morente, Febas, Aguado, Valera; Capeda; Rodriguez, Mir

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:

Oblak; Bonar, Pubill, Lenglet, Diaz; Mendoza, Cardoso; Almada, Baena, Gonzalez; Alvarez

We say: Elche 1-1 Atletico Madrid

Atletico's domestic form is incredibly poor, and they will be taking on an Elche team that have been largely excellent at home this season, so we are struggling to predict an away win and have instead settled on a low-scoring draw.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.