Real Madrid are back on the road with a trip to Elche on Tuesday night, as they look to keep up the pressure on La Liga leaders Barcelona.

However, even a win is unlikely to send Madrid top of the table temporarily, due to Barcelona’s already considerable goal-difference advantage.

Still, a big victory will help reassure the notoriously hard-to-please Los Blancos fans who remain unconvinced at the start of José Mourinho’s second reign.

In his pre-match press conference, the manager asked for “three months” to get his team up to standard. Four wins from five can hardly be counted as a bad start to the new season, but Madrid are afforded fewer slip-ups than other clubs.

Elche vs. Real Madrid Score Prediction

Real Madrid Overpower La Liga Strugglers

This represents yet another enormous La Liga mismatch, and if Real Madrid are serious about keeping up with Barcelona this season, then this is the type of match they need to win without getting out of second gear.

Los Blancos are expected to take three points on the road at a side who has yet to taste victory this season. For Mourinho, the biggest headache may be managing his team selection, with the Madrid derby to follow.

Elche will hope to play compact and frustrate the visitors, but they don’t have the quality to follow the blueprint set by Real Betis, and their leaky defense suggests it could be a tough evening.

• One-sided affair: In 13 previous meetings Elche have never beaten Real Madrid, though they did hold Los Blancos to a 2–2 draw at their last meeting at Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero last season.
• Defensive issues: Elche haven’t kept a clean sheet this season and have conceded the second-most goals in La Liga in 2026–27 so far (13).
• Gunning for glory: No player in La Liga has scored more than Kylian Mbappé’s six thus far this season. The Frenchman has never scored previously against Elche.

Prediction: Elche 0–3 Real Madrid

Elche Predicted Lineup vs. Real Madrid

Martín Anselmi has few injury worries ahead of Tuesday, with only Adam Boayar and Yago Santiago ruled out.

After being hammered by Barcelona at home last month, Elche have looked more competitive in recent weeks, narrowly losing to both Racing Santander and Real Sociedad before a creditable draw away with Athletic Club—in part thanks a switch to a more pragmatic 4-4-1-1 formation.

On-loan Brighton attacking midfielder Facundo Bounanotte will hope to cause problems in the No. 10 role. Center back Víctor Chust began his career at Real Madrid.

Elche predicted lineup vs. Real Madrid (4-4-1-1): Dituro; Sangaré, Redondo, Chust, Revivo; Morente, Morcillo, Villar, Valera; Bounanotte; Niño.

Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Elche

Considering this is Madrid’s fourth match of September already and the Madrid derby is this weekend, expect multiple changes to Mourinho’s lineup.

Only long-term absentees Éder Militão, Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo are missing from selection, but the manager could rotate heavily here to keep legs fresh.

Raúl Asencio made the bench against Rayo and could even start here to give the likes of Ibrahima Konaté and Antonio Rüdiger a break. Meanwhile, Arda Güler’s dazzling cameo at the weekend might earn him an inclusion in the lineup.

Aurélien Tchouaméni came off the bench on Saturday for his first minutes of the season and could build up more match fitness on Tuesday.

Real Madrid predicted lineup vs. Elche (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras; Valverde, Silva; Güler, Bellingham, Vinícius Jr; Mbappé.

What Time Does Elche vs. Real Madrid Kick Off?

• Location: Elche, Spain
• Stadium: Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero
• Date: Tuesday, Sept. 15
• Kick-off Time: 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. BST

How to Watch Elche vs. Real Madrid on TV, Live Stream