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

Two teams battling against relegation from La Liga will lock horns for a crucial match on Sunday afternoon, with Real Oviedo welcoming Elche to Estadio Carlos Tartiere.

Real Oviedo are bottom of the La Liga table on 28 points, six points from safety, while Elche sit 16th, two points outside of the drop zone, demonstrating the importance of this contest.

Match preview

Not too long ago, Real Oviedo were seemingly destined for an immediate return to the second tier, as it has been a difficult campaign for the Blues, but there have been real signs of life in recent weeks, and their fight against the drop is far from finished.

Guillermo Almada's side have won three of their last five league matches against Valencia, Sevilla and Celta Vigo to give themselves a real chance of getting out of trouble, while they will enter this match off the back of a 1-1 draw at home to Villarreal.

There is still a lot of work to do, with the Blues currently bottom of the table, six points behind 17th-placed Sevilla, but another win this weekend would give them a monumental boost.

Real Oviedo suffered a 1-0 defeat to Elche when the two teams locked horns earlier this season, but their last match at Estadio Carlos Tartiere, which was in the Segunda Division, finished 1-1 in March 2025.

Elche lead the overall head-to-head record between the two sides, but it is close, boasting 21 wins to Real Oviedo's 19, while 13 of their 53 matches have ended in a share of the spoils.

The visitors will enter this weekend's match off the back of an excellent result, beating Atletico Madrid 3-2 on Wednesday night, and they have actually now been victorious in three of their last four matches.

Indeed, Eder Sarabia's side have overcome Mallorca, Valencia and Atletico in their last three home games, but their last away match ended in a 1-0 loss at Rayo Vallecano on April 3.

Elche's away form this season is the worst in the division, having picked up just four points from 15 matches, failing to record a single win in the process.

Los Franjiverdes could potentially rely on their home form to keep them up, but three of their next four games are away, which will be a concern considering their position in the table.

Real Oviedo La Liga form:

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Elche La Liga form:

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Team News

Real Oviedo will need to make checks on Leander Dendoncker, Luka Ilic and Alex Fores before confirming their squad for this weekend's contest with Elche.

However, there will be a definite boost for the home team, with Nicolas Fonseca available again following a suspension, and the 27-year-old is set to return to the starting side.

Federico Vinas has scored nine times in La Liga this season, and the Uruguay international, who has netted four times in his last four appearances, will lead the Real Oviedo line.

Elche, meanwhile, could have a fully-fit squad for this match, with Adam El Mokhtari their only doubt at this stage of proceedings.

The visitors recorded a spectacular 3-2 success over Atletico last time out, and considering the excellent nature of the performance, it would be a surprise if there were changes for this one.

Andre Silva scored twice against Atletico and is set to continue in the final third of the field, while Rafa Mir and Tete Morente are also expected to retain their starting roles.

Real Oviedo possible starting lineup:

Escandell; Ahijado, Costas, Calvo, Alhassane; Fonseca, Sibo; Hassan, Reina, Chaira; Vinas

Elche possible starting lineup:

Dituro; Petrot, Affengruber, Sangare; Morente, Febas, Villar, Valera; Neto; Silva, Mir

We say: Real Oviedo 1-1 Elche

Both teams are in impressive form, and a win for either would do so much for their survival hopes, but we believe that a tight and cagey match on Sunday will end with the points being shared.

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