An easy task for Real Madrid on the pitch of Elche tomorrow

Real Madrid will visit Elche tomorrow in the sixth round of the Spanish La Liga.

For their part, Elche has collected just two points from their first five matches, leaving them in second-to-last place and still threatened with relegation.

The team of Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho returned to winning ways after their 1-0 defeat at Real Betis, securing a 1-0 victory over Italian side Inter in the Champions League, followed by a 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano in the previous round, with French star Kylian Mbappe scoring a brace.

Mourinho, who is returning for a second managerial stint with the royal club after they exited last season without any trophies, said, “The win was very important, especially after our loss in the last La Liga match.”

He added, “We decided the match in the first half (leading 3-0), which is not easy after the work we put in following the Champions League game, not just physically but mentally as well.”

Like Barcelona, Real Madrid faces a team that has not beaten them in a very long time, specifically since March 1978 when they won 3-1 in the league, after which Elche failed to secure a victory in 19 consecutive matches across all competitions.

However, Real must avoid repeating the scenario of their last visit to their opponent’s stadium, where they settled for a 2-2 draw last season after appearing headed for defeat, only to be saved by an Englishman, Jude Bellingham, with a last-gasp goal.

Meanwhile, Alavise hopes to continue their impressive start, having collected 10 points from their first five matches to sit third on goal difference ahead of Atletico Madrid and Sevilla, when they host wounded Valencia, who have managed only one point so far. This prompted Valencia on Sunday to sack their manager Carlos Corberan, who had been in charge since December 2024, and their British executive director Ron Gorley.