Fresh from winning the FIFA Club World Cup, Real Madrid return to La Liga action on Wednesday as relegation-doomed Elche visit the Santiago Bernabeu.
Believe it or not, Elche picked up their first league win of the season last time out, having suffered 13 losses in 19 matches prior to defeating Villarreal.
Match preview
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Real Madrid head into Wednesday's clash on the back of clinching their fifth Club World Cup crown, courtesy of a thrilling 5-3 victory over Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal.
Braces from Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde put Los Blancos in control at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Morocco, while Karim Benzema completed the scoring for the record Club World Cup winners.
Having added yet another piece of silverware to the trophy cabinet, Real Madrid must now focus on chasing down Barcelona in the La Liga title race, as Carlo Ancelotti's side trail their rivals by 11 points in the table.
Although Real Madrid have only lost three of their 20 league games this season, they have struggled for consistency since the World Cup break, recording three wins, one draw and two losses.
Real Madrid suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Mallorca in their previous La Liga outing, despite racking up 20 shots while enjoying 74% of the ball, so Ancelotti will be looking for an immediate response from his players.
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Following 19 failed attempts, Elche finally claimed their first La Liga victory of the season last time out, with Pere Milla netting a hat-trick in the 3-1 win against Villarreal.
When Gerard Moreno equalised for the Yellow Submarine midway through the first half, Elche's wait for a win looked destined to continue, but penalties either side of half time sealed the deal for Pablo Machin's side.
Still, Los Franjiverdes remain 10 points behind second-bottom Getafe in the La Liga table, having registered six draws and 13 defeats this term, and they also find themselves 12 points from safety with 18 games remaining.
To make matters worse, Elche are the joint-lowest scorers in the division with 15 goals, and they also hold the worst defensive record, having conceded 40.
The Alicante outfit suffered a 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the reverse fixture back in October, during Jorge Almiron's ill-fated five-game spell in charge, so Machin will be eager to outdo his predecessor on Wednesday.
Team News
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Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is expected to return to the starting XI on Wednesday after missing his side's Club World Cup triumph with a minor injury, meaning Andriy Lunin will drop to the bench.
Los Blancos will be without Vinicius Junior due to suspension, as the winger picked up his fifth yellow card of the campaign in the defeat to Mallorca.
Lucas Vazquez, Ferland Mendy and Eden Hazard will also miss the visit of Elche through injury, with Hazard last featuring in La Liga all the way back in September.
Following his hat-trick against Villarreal last time out, Elche winger Pere Milla looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after undergoing clavicle surgery.
The visitors will also be without the injured trio of John Nwankwo, Alex Collado and Tete Morente for the trip to Madrid, while Omar Mascarell and Helibelton Palacios are suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Camavinga; Modric, Tchouameni, Kroos; Valverde, Benzema, Rodrygo
Elche possible starting lineup:
Badia; Gonzalez, Roco, Magallan; Carmona, Guti, Gumbau, Clerc; Ponce, Boye, Fidel
We say: Real Madrid 4-0 Elche
Real Madrid look set to bounce back from their shock defeat to Mallorca with a resounding win against Elche, given that Machin's side have taken just nine points from a possible 60 this season.
While Los Blancos have scored 40 league goals this term, Elche have conceded 40, meaning that the hosts should cruise to a high-scoring victory on Wednesday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Morris
