It’s second against 20th in La Liga this midweek as Real Madrid takes on Elche at the Santiago Bernabeu in the only league clash this midweek in Spain’s top flight as the European champions prepare for next week’s clash with Liverpool.
The champions of Europe will take on the Reds just a few months after edging past them in the final as they meet in the Champions League for the third time across five seasons.
💬 @MrAncelotti: "We are feeling good and we are going to fight to win every game."#RealMadridElche pic.twitter.com/Z7SH9xidJZ— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 14, 2023
💬 @MrAncelotti: "We are feeling good and we are going to fight to win every game."#RealMadridElche pic.twitter.com/Z7SH9xidJZ
Firstly, Real will be looking to close the gap on Barcelona at the top of La Liga with Xavi’s men beginning to run away with the league title.
Ahead of the game, Real trail their El Clasico rivals by eleven points and can close the gap to nine. They also trail them on goals difference because of Barcelona's sensational goals conceded record, although they have only scored three goals less.
Real were in action in the Club World Cup final over the weekend, hence the rescheduling of this match with Elche.
Carlo Ancelotti's men made hard work of Al-Hilal in the final and despite never falling behind or drawing the game once they scored, they still let in three goals in a 5-3 thriller.
Vinicius Junior scored twice that day with a goal in either half, as Federico Valverde did the same. Karim Benzema continued to grab goals as well, as he scored in the 54th minute of the game, as Real led 4-1 at the time.
Back in La Liga before their run in the Club World Cup, however, Real lost to Mallorca away from home to allow Barcelona more steam at the top of the table.
Real defeated Valencia at the start of the month, however, not long after edging past city rivals Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey.
As for Elche, they are finally off the mark in La Liga and it's now taken them 20 games to get their first win after beating Villarreal 3-1. Pere Milla was the hero that day as he scored a hat-trick to secure his side's only victory in La Liga, with two goals coming from the spot.
Despite collecting all three points, the 20th-placed side are still adrift of Espanyol in 17th by 12 points ahead of the game and even with a sensational win here, it is tough to see how they survive this season.
Forebet predicts a win for Real and for the game to see under 2.5 goals.