WHO: Real Madrid vs Elche
What: La Liga of Spanish football
Where: Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain
When: Saturday, March 14 at 9pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport’s live coverage begins at 17:00 GMT
After stuttering and sputtering in Spain’s La Liga of late, Real Madrid roared back to life with a stunning win in the UEFA Champions League in midweek.
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Now the record La Liga winners have turned their attention to catching the league leaders and defending champions Barcelona back in the Spanish top flight.
Elche arrive in Madrid with major concerns of their own, sitting one place above the relegation zone.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the game.
How is Real Madrid and Barcelona’s La Liga title race?
Barcelona are four points clear of Real with 27 games played. Barca have won 22 of their matches and lost four, while Real have lost the same number but won just 20, drawing two more matches than their rivals.
Barcelona entertain 14th-placed Sevilla on Sunday, meaning Real could cut their lead to just one point if they beat Elche.
How have Real Madrid performed in La Liga this season?
The turbulent times that marked the end of Xabi Alonso’s spell as Real manager appeared to return in recent weeks, with Los Blancos losing two bounces in La Liga for the first time this season.
With a tricky trip to Celta Vigo following defeats to Osasuna and Getafe, Real’s title challenge appeared on the line.
A 2-1 win at Vigo, thanks to goals from Aurelian Tchoumeni and Federico Valverde, cut Barca’s lead to just one point as the Catalan club restored their advantage with a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao last Friday.
Los Blancos have won 13 of their opening 14 games in all competitions this season, only dropping points in a 5-2 defeat in the Madrid derby at Atletico.
Two wins in eight matches set the tone for the rest of Alonso’s time in charge, with five wins on the subsequent bounce unable to save the former Real midfielder from the chop, which ended after a 3-2 Spanish Super Cup final defeat by Barcelona.
The interim head coach, Alvaro Arbeloa, endured a turbulent start with a humiliating 3-2 defeat at Albacete in the Copa del Rey, but bounced back and won the next five league games to renew their hopes of catching Barcelona.
How have Elche fared in La Liga this season?
Elche were unbeaten in their opening seven games of the season, winning four all in the league.
A seven-match winless run in La Liga followed, plunging the Alicante-based club into the relegation scrap.
Their recent winless run has stretched to 11 games – 10 in La Liga – with seven defeats and just four league points earned in that time.
Eder Sarabia’s side are now just one point and one place off the bottom three and are still the only side in the competition to get away from home this season – losing nine of their 13 games on the road.
Finally for Real Madrid
Real’s season was given a welcome boost in midweek with a 3-0 win over Manchester City – led by former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola – in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie.
Valverde, who scored last weekend’s winner at Vigo, scored a first-half hat-trick to give Los Blancos a significant advantage heading into Manchester for the return fixture.
Last to Elche
Elche were beaten 2-1 at Villarreal in La Liga last Sunday, their fifth consecutive defeat on the road.
The last four of those have come in the league, but the run began with their Copa del Rey exit at Real Betis.
Leo Petrot gave Elche the lead in the 58th minute, but Chimi Avila’s double turned the game around.
Stat attack – Elche
Elche are yet to keep a clean sheet on their travels in the league this season. In 13 games on the road, they have conceded 26 goals – but, on a more optimistic note, they have managed to score in all but two of those games.
What happened the last time Real Madrid played Elche?
Elche picked up a valuable point in the reverse fixture against Real in La Liga this season in a 2-2 draw.
Alex Febas and Alvaro Rodríguez twice gave the home side the lead, the latter scoring in the 84th minute, while Dean Huijsen and Jude Bellingham equalized twice for Los Blancos, with Victor Chust sent off at injury time.
What happened the last time Elche entertained Real Madrid?
Real were 3–0 winners in the match, held in October 2022, with goals from Federico Valverde, Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio.
In February 2023, Los Blancos won the reverse fixture 4–0.
When was the last time Elche beat Real Madrid?
It’s been a long wait for Elche to come away with the spoils in this match with a 3-1 victory – their last win coming in 1978.
head-to-head
The teams have met 54 times, with Real winning 35 of them. Elche have emerged victorious on six occasions.
All six of Elche’s victories have come at home.
Real Madrid Team News
Kylian Mbappe’s absence remains a major frustration for Real, but the French striker leads a long list of absentees.
Ferland Mendy is a major doubt as he was forced out of the win against Manchester City with an injury.
Defender Mbappe, Eder Militao, Jude Bellingham, Dani Ceballos and Rodrygo could be included on the sidelines.
Franco Mastantuono is suspended for the game, while Alvaro Carreras and David Alaba are both close to shaking off calf injuries.
Elche team news
Hector Forte, on loan from Barcelona, is out with a shoulder injury.
Pedro Bigas and John Donald both face injury doubts and late fitness tests.
Predicted Real Madrid Team
Courtois; Carvajal, Asensio, Huijsen, F Garcia; Valverde, Camavinga, Tchoumeni; Guler; Vinicius, Brahim
Elche team predicted
Dituro; Chust, Afengruber, Petrot; Joseon, Febas, Aguado, Valera; Neto; A Silva, Rodriguez
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