In desperate need of a bounce back, Real Madrid are headed to Elche for what should be a routine outing against the newly promoted side.
What started as a near-perfect campaign under Xabi Alonso quickly turned sour ahead of the November international break. Five days after a poor 1–0 defeat to Liverpool, Real Madrid only managed a goalless draw with Rayo Vallecano.
Los Blancos saw their gap ahead of Barcelona cut down to three, and one more stumble could open the door for the defending Spanish champions to take their place atop the La Liga standings.
The good news for Alonso’s men is that their first match back from the international break comes against Elche, an opponent Real Madrid have dominated in the past. In fact, the Spanish giants are on a 17-game unbeaten run against their upcoming opponents, whose last victory against Los Blancos came in 1975.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the La Liga bout.
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Elche vs. Real Madrid Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (All Competitions)
Elche Real Madrid
Elche 1–1 Real Sociedad - 07/11/25 Rayo Vallecano 0–0 Real Madrid - 09/11/25
Barcelona 3–1 Elche - 02/11/25 Liverpool 1–0 Real Madrid - 04/11/25
Los Garres 0–4 Elche - 29/10/25 Real Madrid 4–0 Valencia - 01/11/25
Espanyol 1–0 Elche - 25/10/25 Real Madrid 2–1 Barcelona - 26/10/25
Elche 0–0 Athletic Club - 19/10/25 Real Madrid 1–0 Juventus - 22/10/25
Country TV Channel/Live Stream
United States ABC, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, fuboTV
United Kingdom Premier Sports 1
Canada TSN+, TSN2
Mexico Sky+, Sky Sports Mexico
Iñaki Peña
Iñaki Peña is still battling to become Elche’s undisputed starter. / Pedro Salado/Getty Images
Unlike Real Madrid, Elche are almost at full strength. Eder Sarabia confirmed he will only be unable to call on Josan for Sunday’s clash; the Spaniard is dealing with a minor muscle injury.
Pedro Bigas, meanwhile, is back in training with the team and will be available against Real Madrid, though he is expected to start on the bench since he has not featured in nearly three weeks.
Who gets the starting nod at goalkeeper remains the big question for Elche. Sarabia has made a habit of rotating Matías Dituro and Iñaki Peña between the posts, but the latter has the edge.
Elche predicted XI
Eder Sarabia has a decision to make between the posts. / FotMob
Elche predicted lineup vs. Real Madrid (4-1-4-1): Peña; Núñez, Affengruber, Chust, Pedrosa; Aguado; Diaby, Mendoza, Febas, Mir; A. Rodríguez.
Éder Militão
Éder Militão (left) is unavailable against Elche. / Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
The international break was not kind to Real Madrid. Éder Militão sustained an adductor injury while representing Brazil and will miss the next two weeks of action, joining Antonio Rüdiger and Dani Carvajal on the sidelines.
Thibaut Courtois, Kylian Mbappé, Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde all also suffered injury scares during the November international window, but the four players are expected to be fit and ready to start.
Dean Huijsen remains a doubt, though the center back will likely feature even if he is not 100% just because of Real Madrid’s lack of options in defense. Aurélien Tchouaméni and Franco Mastantuono, meanwhile, will be in a race against the clock to make the trip to the Estadio Martínez Valero.
Real Madrid predicted XI
Trent Alexander-Arnold returns to the right flank for Real Madrid. / FotMob
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs. Elche (4-3-1-2): Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras; Valverde, Camavinga, Güler; Bellingham; Vinícius, Mbappé.
Even if Real Madrid have to shake off some rust from the international break, it is hard to see the Spanish giants dropping points for a third consecutive match, especially against a team that has not collected three points in La Liga since September.
The addition of Trent Alexander-Arnold back into Alonso’s lineup gives Los Blancos a much-needed boost in the attack, one that can help exploit a backline that has kept just one clean sheet in its last seven matches in the Spanish top-flight.
Prediction: Elche 0–2 Real Madrid
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