Fresh off a thrilling victory over Manchester City, Real Madrid is back in La Liga action against a struggling Elche side on Saturday evening.
At this time last weekend, Los Blancos were seconds away from dropping points in their third consecutive La Liga match, looking incapable of challenging Barcelona for the Spanish crown or the Citizens in the Champions League round of 16. Then, Fede Valverde happened.
The Uruguayan buried a stoppage time winner to snatch all three points from Celta Vigo last Friday and then bagged a brilliant hat trick against Man City five days later to suddenly revive Real Madrid’s season.
Still, the 15-time European champions remain four points off the league-leaders, leaving no room for anymore slip ups, especially against an Elche side that sits just above the drop zone. Eder Sarabia’s men already held the Spanish giants to a 2–2 draw in the reverse fixture, a result they will hope to replicate under the lights at the Bernabéu.
Real Madrid vs. Elche Score Prediction
Los Blancos Emphatically Extend Winning Streak
Renewed with the confidence of dominating the Citizens, Real Madrid will be raring to keep the good times rolling on Saturday—and Elche happen to be the unfortunate team standing in their way. Even if Álvaro Arbeloa rotates some of his best players to keep them fresh for the second leg against Man City next week, he has enough star power available to punish a side without a win in 2026.
As if Los Blancos needed any more motivation, they will also be eager to erase their November blunder against Elche, a result that truly cemented the crisis of Xabi Alonso’s reign at the Bernabéu. This time around, Arbeloa will not let such a shock outcome unfold against an inferior opponent.
- Real Madrid’s Historic Dominance: Los Blancos have never lost to Elche at the Bernabéu. In fact, they have only ever been beaten by the Spanish outfit six times in their last 54 matchups across all competitions.
- Elche’s 2026 Woes: The visitors come into the fixture without a win since the calendar flipped to 2026. Sarabia’s men have lost seven matches and drawn four over the last two and a half months.
- Vinicius Junior’s Goal Drought: The Brazilian superstar has not found the back of the net in his last three appearances. It might not sound like much, but without Kylian Mbappé, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham available, Vinicius Junior needs to get back to goalscoring ways to compensate for the key absences.
Prediction: Real Madrid 3–0 Elche
Arbeloa will be without nine players when Elche make the trip to the Spanish capital on Saturday. Although Mbappé is back training at Valdebebas, he is still not ready to feature in the La Liga clash and remains sidelined with several other key starters: Bellingham, Éder Militão, Rodrygo and Álvaro Carreras.
David Alaba and Ferland Mendy will also miss the clash through injury, though neither problem is deemed serious in nature. To avoid any more of his defenders booking a stay in the infirmary ahead of the team’s trip to Manchester, Arbeloa will likely rest Antonio Rüdiger and Trent Alexander-Arnold this weekend, allowing Raúl Asencio and Dani Carvajal to come back into the lineup.
Aurélien Tchouaméni could be in for a much-needed break as well, leaving Eduardo Camavinga to assume his place in midfield alongside Real Madrid Castilla standout Thiago Pitarch. The 18-year-old is taking full advantage of Dani Ceballos’s absence to stake his claim with the first team.
Franco Mastantuono is suspended for the clash after being sent off against Getafe, leaving Brahim Díaz to partner Vinicius Junior up top.
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs. Elche (4-4-2): Courtois; Carvajal, Asencio, Huijsen, F. García; Valverde, Güler, Camavinga, Pitarch; Díaz, Vinicius Junior.
Elche Predicted Lineup vs. Real Madrid
Elche is sweating over the statuses of John Donald and Pedro Bigas. Both players are nursing muscular injuries, but the latter appears the more likely to feature against Real Madrid after making Sarabia’s squad for last weekend’s trip to Villarreal.
Héctor Fort, meanwhile, is ruled out of the clash with a shoulder injury. The Barcelona loanee has been sidelined since December, leaving Sarabia without one of his most promising young talents.
Speaking of youngsters looking to make their marks, Álvaro Rodríguez is expected to get the nod up top against his former club. The 21-year-old came up through La Fábrica and starred for Real Madrid Castilla before leaving the Spanish capital ahead of the 2024–25 season.
Martim Neto could also be in line for a rare start after an impressive performance off the bench last weekend in which he linked up with André Silva for the team’s only goal at the Estadio de la Cerámica.
Elche predicted lineup vs. Real Madrid (3-4-1-2): Dituro; Chust, Affengruber, Pétrot; Cepeda, Aguado, Febas, Valera; Neto; A. Silva, Rodríguez.
What Time Does Real Madrid vs. Elche Kick Off?
- Location: Madrid, Spain
- Stadium: Bernabéu
- Date: Saturday, March 14
- Kick-off Time: 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. GMT
How to Watch Real Madrid vs. Elche on TV, Live Stream
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Country |
TV/Live Stream |
|---|---|
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United States |
ESPN Deportes, ESPN Select, ESPN App, fuboTV |
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United Kingdom |
Disney+ |
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Canada |
TSN+ |
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Mexico |
Sky Sports Mexico, Sky+, izzi |
