The matchday 26 La Liga clash between Elche vs RCD Espanyol Barcelona will take place on 1 March at the Manuel Martinez Valero Stadium. Elche vs RCD Espanyol Barcelona: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Elche
A week ago, Elche let a draw slip away right at the death in an away match against Athletic Club (1:2). As a result, the home side’s winless run in La Liga has reached eight matches (three draws, five defeats), and across the last five rounds they have managed to collect just one point. With such results, the club have found themselves on the brink of the relegation zone: they are currently 17th in the standings and are only one point clear of Mallorca. It is worth noting that the team have scored in 10 of their previous 11 league matches, but over the same spell Elche have kept only three clean sheets.
- The club have avoided defeat in 15 of their last 17 home matches in La Liga (seven wins, eight draws).
- Five of the team’s last six matches in this competition have gone over the total.
- Elche have not scored more than one goal in six of their last eight La Liga matches.
Potential Elche Lineup (3-5-2)*
Matias Dituro – Pedro Bigas, Leo Petrot, Victor Chust – German Valera, Tete Morente, Lucas Cepeda, Marc Aguado, Aleix Febas – Alvaro Rodriguez, Andre Silva.
Midfielder Yago Santiago is suspended. Defender Hector Fort is unavailable due to injury.
RCD Espanyol Barcelona
Like Elche, RCD Espanyol Barcelona are still without a win in the league in 2026. Over the last eight matches across two months, the visitors have collected just two points — the worst return in the competition. Last weekend, RCD Espanyol Barcelona failed to spring a surprise away to Atletico Madrid (2:4). As a consequence of that result, the club dropped out of the top six for the first time since October. The Catalans now sit seventh in the league, two points behind Celta de Vigo, with a whole group of rivals also closing in from below.
- RCD Espanyol Barcelona have failed to keep a clean sheet in nine straight La Liga matches.
- The team’s scoring run in this competition now stands at five matches.
- The club’s last five league matches in Spain have gone over the total.
Potential RCD Espanyol Barcelona Lineup (5-4-1)*
Marko Dmitrovic – Omar El Hilali, Fernando Calero, Leandro Cabrera, Clemens Riedel, Carlos Romero – Pol Lozano, Urko Gonzalez, Jofre Carreras, Tyrhys Dolan – Kike Garcia.
Captain Javi Puado is unavailable due to injury.
Elche vs RCD Espanyol Barcelona: Match Prediction
This fixture brings together two clubs with the worst results in La Liga in 2026. Even so, it is worth pointing out that despite all their problems, the opponents have not lost their attacking edge. Even during their current eight-match winless runs in the league, the teams have been averaging 1.12 goals per 90 minutes.
Elche have scored in 10 of their 11 La Liga matches since the start of winter, but frequent defensive mistakes have led to both teams scoring in seven of their last eight games over that spell. For RCD Espanyol Barcelona, high-scoring shoot-outs are becoming something of a norm, and it is no surprise that both teams have scored in each of the Catalans’ last five La Liga matches.
We should also add that the clubs have traded goals in nine of their previous 11 head-to-head meetings in the Spanish league.
Prediction: Both teams to score – Yes
* For each team, the starting XI listed is from their previous match in this competition.
