FC Barcelona’s 2026/27 season gets under way in earnest this Sunday at 9.30pm CEST, as the team travel to the Estadio Martínez Valero to take on Elche in La Liga. The competition is already into its second week, but this is Barça's first fixture after they were exempted from playing on matchday one due to the high number of players that progressed to the final rounds of the World Cup.

So, while Barça's preseason was continuing with a trip to Basel and the Gamper, their hosts today, Elche, already have a point on the board.

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Head to head

Recent meetings certainly make encouraging reading for Barça. Elche have lost each of their last 10 La Liga games against the Catalans, their longest losing streak against them in the competition.

Barça also remain unbeaten on their last 11 league visits to Elche, winning eight and drawing three, including victories on each of their last five trips to the Martínez Valero. The most recent came last season, when Barça ran out 3-1 winners. Lamine Yamal opened the scoring after just six minutes before Álvaro Rodríguez drew the hosts level. Ferran Torres restored the lead five minutes before the break and Marcus Rashford made sure of the points in the 72nd minute.

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Typically strong starters

Barça also have an impressive recent record in their opening league fixture of the season. They have lost just one of their last 17 La Liga openers, winning 14 and drawing two. That solitary defeat came in August 2019, a 1-0 loss away to Athletic Club.

This year, however, the circumstances are rather different. Barça head into their first competitive fixture on the back of an unusually demanding summer, with the World Cup having disrupted preparations and several members of the squad only gradually returning to action.

Hansi Flick addressed that issue in his pre-match press conference, stressing the need to carefully manage the minutes of the players returning from the World Cup. The Barça coach also confirmed that Joao Cancelo is fit and available, while Rodri is expected to join the group on Monday.

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Elche form

Elche, meanwhile, already have their first league game under their belts. Martín Anselmi’s side began the campaign with a creditable 1-1 draw away to newly promoted Deportivo de La Coruña.

They now return to the Martínez Valero for their first home fixture of the season, buoyed by that point at Riazor but facing a considerably tougher challenge. 

For Barça, the long wait is finally over. Preseason preparations are complete, the World Cup is behind them and the defence of their La Liga crown begins here. First stop, Elche.

 

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