PREVIEW | Elche v FC Barcelona
Having secured a place in the last sixteen of the Champions League with a 4-1 win over FC Copenhagen on Wednesday, FC Barcelona's attention reverts to La Liga this Saturday (9pm CET, see guide) and a potentially awkward trip to play a side that has been producing some very pretty football under Eder Sarabia, as recognised Hansi Flick himself in his pre-game conference.
Elche, who were promoted from the second division last term, actually enjoyed more possession than Barça when they met at the Estadi Olimpic earlier this season, all the Catalans eventually ran out 3-1 winners, the goals coming courtesy of Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford.
Strong history
And history is certainly on Barça's side in this one. They are on a run of nine straight wins against Elche, and haven't lost on any of their last ten visits to the 31,000 capacity Estadio Martínez Valero, having kept clean sheets in seven of those games. We have go back over half a century, to 1974, to find the last instance when the blaugrana actually lost to Elche.
Elche are eleventh in the table right now, although much of that is thanks to their excellent start, when they went unbeaten in their first seven games. In the fourteen games played since then, they have only beaten Girona and Rayo Vallecano, and their relatively lofty league position is somewhat misleading. Following a 3-2 loss at Levante last week, only three points separate them from the relegation zone.
Awkward hosts
All the same, they are a much better side at home than on the road, with Villarreal so far this season being the only team to have claimed all three points at their stadium. So this game is likely to be as difficult a challenge for Barça as the one in November already was.
Barça, meanwhile, are still flying high at the top of the Liga table, having returned to winning ways with a 3-0 defeat of Oviedo last week after losing for the first time in 2026 a week before at Real Sociedad. But just one point separates them from second placed Real Madrid, who are at home to Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.
Team news
Barça are still without the injured Gavi, Andreas Christensen and Pedri, but Ferran Torres came on against Copenhagen midweek and could even start tonight should Flick so decide.
Frenkie de Jong is also back after missing the Champions League match through suspension.
As well as their manager, who served as assistant to Quique Setien at Barça in 2020, there is other blaugrana links in the home ranks. Defender Héctor Fort is on loan this season, but is unlikely to feature against his parent club due to injury, and goalkeeper Iñaki Peña is at Elche on a similar deal.
And one of Elche's key assets, striker Rafa Mir, spent a couple of excellent seasons at Barça Atlètic not so long ago. However, he too is having fitness problems, and if he features at all it probably won't be from the start.
Missing for sure is Catalan midfielder Aleix Febas, who is serving a yellow card suspension.