Real Madrid will aim to close the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona when they welcome Elche to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night.
Los Blancos currently sit second in the table, four points behind the Blaugrana, while Elche are battling near the bottom in 17th place and only one point above the relegation zone.
Despite their strong overall form, Real Madrid have been beaten twice at home in the league this season, meaning they cannot afford to underestimate an Elche side fighting for survival.
Historically, Madrid have enjoyed considerable success in this fixture. They have lost only six of their previous 54 matches against Elche in all competitions and have never been defeated by Los Franjiverdes at the Bernabeu.
However, Elche have proven capable of frustrating the capital club in recent meetings. They held Madrid to a 2-2 draw at the Bernabeu in January 2022, and the reverse fixture earlier this season also finished 2-2.
Eder Sarabia’s side arrive in the Spanish capital struggling for form. Their most recent outing ended in a 2-1 defeat to Villarreal, and they have not recorded a win since the final match of 2025.
Team news for Real Madrid v Elche
Real Madrid could be without several key players heading into Saturday’s match.
Ferland Mendy was forced off at half-time in the Champions League win over Manchester City and is considered a major doubt.
Eder Militao, Jude Bellingham, Dani Ceballos, Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo and Franco Mastantuono are all expected to miss the match through injury or suspension, while Alvaro Carreras and David Alaba remain doubtful.
Head coach Alvaro Arbeloa may opt to rotate his squad following the midweek European fixture. Raul Asencio, Fran Garcia, Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Carvajal could all come into the starting lineup.
Elche will travel without Hector Fort, who continues to recover from a shoulder injury, while Pedro Bigas and John Donald will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Forward Alvaro Rodriguez, who previously spent several years with Real Madrid between 2020 and 2025, is expected to feature in attack against his former club.
Expected line-ups for Real Madrid v Elche
Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Asencio, Huijsen, F Garcia; Valverde, Camavinga, Tchouameni; Guler; Vinicius, Brahim
Elche: Dituro; Chust, Affengruber, Petrot; Josan, Febas, Aguado, Valera; Neto; A Silva, Rodriguez
Where to watch Real Madrid v Elche: TV channel, online stream
The match will be shown live in the United Kingdom on Disney+.
Supporters can also stream the match online or through the app.
Kickoff at the Santiago Bernabeu is scheduled for 8:00pm GMT on Saturday.
The stats for Real Madrid v Elche
- Real Madrid have never lost to Elche at the Santiago Bernabeu
- Los Blancos have won 48 of their 54 previous matches against Elche in all competitions
- Elche have not beaten Real Madrid since March 1978
- The reverse fixture earlier this season finished 2-2
- Real Madrid have lost two home matches in La Liga this season
Prediction for Real Madrid v Elche
Real Madrid
2
–
0
Elche
Elche may arrive with fresher legs after Madrid’s midweek Champions League clash, but the hosts possess far greater quality across the pitch. With the title race tightening, Real Madrid should have enough to secure an important win at the Bernabeu.
