Elche – Real Madrid

Real will not smash a hopeless outsider amid fatigue

On Wednesday 19 October, Real Madrid will play away against Elche as La Liga leaders. Madrid played an exemplary encounter against Barcelona. Carlo Ancelotti's side outclassed their arch-rivals absolutely on point. After such a game in Madrid, there was nothing but positivity. Karim Benzema broke his goalless streak and Vinicius is still in fine form. Even Courtois' absence was no big problem. The Belgian goalkeeper will not be back for the game against Elche. Andriy Lunin has been performing at a decent level so far. The Ukrainian, at least, does not commit any productive errors. The only one outfielder who is out injured is Dani Ceballos. There are no major losses in the squad, but after Barcelona there could be a global rotation. It will be only three days after a tense and more important match. Karim Benzema will also be distracted by the Ballon d'Or award. The French striker could also miss the meeting. Ancelotti is using more young players and reserves. The status of the opposition allows. Elche are the worst club in the Spanish championship. After nine rounds, there are no wins. Only three points have been earned. Only a miracle can help them escape from such a start. The management has decided to change the head coach. Fran Escriba has been sent off. Prior to last week's encounter with Valencia, Argentine Jorge Almiron stepped up as coach. Elche managed to produce their best match with the new coach. The outsider scored two goals and snatched a draw away to Valencia. It was Milla who sealed the brace. Elche can't complain about bad luck. If you look at advanced statistics, the team has the worst record in every aspect. They are the least competitive in the league, but they are far and away the leader in terms of danger at home. There is also no reason for the crisis in personnel losses. Only midfielder Fidel is unavailable. All the other players are ready to take the field. The bookmakers are expecting an all-out defeat for the underdog. Real Madrid are playing a very tight schedule. Carlo Ancelotti, with a calendar like this, has accustomed Madrid to trying to think about recovery. Before Barcelona, the team had a series of six meetings on a "total under" 3.5. A scenario is possible in which Real will be satisfied with a win in class. Madrid have the ulterior motivation of not conceding from Elche. In head-to-head encounters, the underdog has unexpectedly scored against Madrid in five consecutive games. A cautious scenario from the hosts is more likely now. Real Madrid are without a number of their key players and are not at their best amid fatigue.