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2022/23 Spanish La Liga
Matchday 21
Real Madrid v Elche CF
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
Madrid, Spain
Wednesday, 15 February 2023
Kick-off is at 21h00
Real Madrid will face off with Elche FC in a
Spanish La Liga match at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on February 15.
Current Form
The Whites succumbed to a surprise 1-0 defeat to Real Mallorca away on February 5 and the loss ended the team's three-match unbeaten run in the league.
However, Madrid are undefeated in their last 13 matches at home having recorded four draws and nine victories at the iconic Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
While Elche secured an impressive 3-1 win over Villarreal at home on February 4 and they snapped their 19-match winless run in La Liga.
The Green Striped Ones are winless in their last 12 matches on the road having registered three draws and nine defeats as the away side.
What Is At Stake
Madrid are placed second on the league standings and they cannot afford to drop more points as they are eight points behind leaders FC Barcelona.
The defending champions will be determined to secure a win over Elche and hope that Barca drop points when they face Villarreal on February 12.
Meanwhile, Elche are placed 20th on the league standings and they will be desperate for a win which would boost their ambitions of avoiding relegation from the Spanish top-flight.
Team News
Madrid captain Karim Benzema is part of the club's injury-list which includes Lucas Vazquez, Eden Hazard, Eder Militao and Ferland Mendy coming into the game against Elche.
On the other hand, Elche have their own injury concerns as Tete Morente, John Nwankwo and Alex Collado will be missing due their respective injuries.
Key Players
With Benzema absent, Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti will look to Vinicius Junior who has scored seven goals and provided three assists in La Liga in the current campaign.
While Elche will pin their hopes of defeating the Whites on Pere Milla who impressively grabbed a hat-trick to inspire Pablo Machin's side to a recent victory over Villarreal.
Quotes
“We knew it was going to be a tough game, because of the kick-off time and because we didn’t have much time to rest," Nacho, who captained Madrid against Mallorca, said.
"Mallorca are having a great season and when they go ahead it’s even more difficult. They defended really well throughout the game. It was a fortunate goal, but they worked hard and we weren’t at our best in terms of creating chances.
"It’s a shame because we’ve dropped three points."
Image copyright: Getty Images
Head-to-Head
Madrid claimed a 3-0 win over Elche in their last meeting in La Liga with the match taking place at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero on 19 October 2022.
As a result, the Whites are undefeated against Green Striped Ones since Elche made their return to La Liga in 2013 with Madrid having won seven out of their nine matches.
(Last Five La Liga Meetings)
Matches - 5
Madrid - 4
Elche - 0
Draws - 1
Spanish La Liga matchday 21 fixtures
Friday, February
21:00 - Cadiz CF v Girona FC
Saturday, February 11
16:15 - Almeria v Real Betis
18:30 - Sevilla FC v Real Mallorca
21:00 - Valencia CF v Athletic Bilbao
Sunday, February 12
14:00 - Getafe v Rayo Vallecano
16:15 - Celta Vigo v Atletico Madrid
18:30 - Real Valladolid v Osasuna
21:00 - Villarreal CF v FC Barcelona
Monday, February 13
21:00 - RCD Espanyol v Real Sociedad
Wednesday, February 15
21:00 - Real Madrid v Elche CF
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