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

Real Madrid will aim to move to within one point of La Liga leaders Barcelona when they welcome struggling Elche to Bernabeu on Saturday night.

Los Blancos are second in the La Liga table, four points behind the reigning champions, while Elche are 17th, only one point outside of the relegation zone.

Match preview

Real Madrid will enter this match off the back of a spectacular performance against Manchester City in the Champions League, recording a 3-0 victory over Pep Guardiola's side in the first leg of their last-16 clash, with Federico Valverde scoring a terrific treble.

Los Blancos are therefore in a very strong position when it comes to reaching the quarter-finals of the tournament, with the second leg to come in Manchester next week, but their focus has now switched back to Spain's top flight and catching Barcelona.

Alvaro Arbeloa's side beat Celta Vigo 2-1 in the league last time out, and they are currently second in the table, four points behind the leaders Barcelona, demonstrating the importance of securing all three points in Saturday's contest at Bernabeu.

Real Madrid have actually lost twice at home in the league this season, and they will certainly be wary of the threat that Elche could provide this weekend.

That said, Los Blancos have only lost six of their previous 54 matches against Elche in all competitions, and they have never been beaten by Los Franjiverdes at Bernabeu.

All six of Elche's previous wins over Real Madrid have come at home, with their last success against the capital giants coming in March 1978.

That said, Elche managed to hold Real Madrid to a 2-2 draw at Bernabeu in January 2022, while the reverse game between the two sides earlier this season also finished 2-2.

Los Franjiverdes lost 2-1 to Villarreal last time out, and they are without a victory since their final match of 2025, so it has been an unhappy 2026 to date.

Eder Sarabia's side have a record of five wins, 11 draws and 11 defeats from their 27 league matches this season, which has left them down in 17th spot on the table on 26 points, only one point ahead of 18th-placed Mallorca.

It is set to be a fascinating battle for survival in the final stages of the campaign, and it would be an incredible boost for Elche if they managed to upset Real Madrid this weekend.

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 was forced off at the interval of Real Madrid's Champions League clash with Man City last time out, and the Frenchman is therefore a major doubt for this match.

Eder Militao (hamstring), Jude Bellingham (hamstring), Dani Ceballos (calf), Kylian Mbappe (knee), Rodrygo (knee) and Franco Mastantuono (suspended) will all be missing on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Alvaro Carreras (calf) and David Alaba (calf) remain doubts.

Head coach Arbeloa could make four changes to the side that featured from the first whistle against Man City, with Raul Asencio, Fran Garcia, Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Carvajal potentially being introduced for Antonio Rudiger, Mendy, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Thiago Pitarch.

As for Elche, on-loan Barcelona defender Hector Fort is still on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, while Pedro Bigas and John Donald are both doubts.

Alvaro Rodriguez represented Real Madrid between 2020 and 2025, and there is expected to be a spot in the final third of the field for the 21-year-old at Bernabeu.

Andre Silva is also in line to keep his spot in an attacking area, while David Affengruber, who is believed to be on the radar of a number of major clubs, will feature at the back.

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:

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

Elche possible starting lineup:

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

We say: Real Madrid 2-0 Elche

Elche will certainly be the fresher of the two teams, with Real Madrid involved in a full-throttle Champions League game against Man City on Wednesday. However, Los Blancos should be able to get the job done on home soil to put a very important three points on the board.

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