Real Madrid Rotate Five as Elche Fight for Points

Real Madrid will face Elche CF at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero on Tuesday with five changes to Jose Mourinho’s starting lineup. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen, Marc Cucurella, Arda Güler, and Aurélien Tchouaméni enter the starting eleven, while Jude Bellingham, Bernardo Silva, Antonio Rüdiger, Denzel Dumfries, and Álvaro Carreras drop to the substitute bench.

Tchouaméni is continuing to build match fitness after an injury layoff. He recently played 22 minutes in Real Madrid’s 4-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano. The club’s injury list still includes Éder Militão, who has a muscle injury, Ferland Mendy, who is dealing with a hip problem, and winger Rodrygo, who is recovering from a knee issue.

Elche have collected only two points from their opening five league matches. Marc Aguado, Martim Neto, and Abiel Osorio have been brought into the lineup after the team’s hard-fought 1-1 draw against Athletic Club on Saturday, replacing Xavier Morcillo, Fer Niño, and Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Facundo Buonanotte. Buonanotte, who spent last season on loan with Chelsea and Leeds United, scored Elche’s only goal in that match with a 50th-minute penalty.

Roy Revivo keeps his place at left-back after making his full debut over the weekend. He joined Elche from Maccabi Tel-Aviv on transfer deadline day for a reported fee of £2.1 million. Central defender Kevin Lomonaco, recruited from Argentine club Independiente, is on the bench while he awaits his debut, and midfielder Yago Santiago remains unavailable during his recovery from knee surgery underwent in May.

Real Madrid’s defensive options have been strengthened by Raul Asencio’s return from a thigh injury. Goalkeeper Andrii Lunin is also back on the bench after recovering from an illness. The changes underline the squad depth available to Mourinho during a congested domestic and European calendar.

Real Madrid’s recent run began after their first major setback of the campaign, a 1-0 away defeat against Real Betis on September 4. Since then, Los Blancos have won consecutive home matches, beating Inter Milan 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League before recording a comfortable league victory over Vallecano.

Vinícius Júnior remains Real Madrid’s main attacking threat, with six goals and three assists this season. His six goals put him level with Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, as well as Vallecano’s Sergio Camello, for the top-flight lead. His three assists rank behind only Barcelona’s Anthony Gordon, who has four. Elche’s Tete Morente has two assists and is among only 12 players outside the Real Madrid and Barcelona squads to have recorded multiple assists.

Elche’s defensive record has been their main weakness this season. They have conceded 13 goals, with only Rayo Vallecano allowing more after conceding 14. Elche have also suffered heavy home defeats, including a 5-0 loss to Barcelona and a 3-2 defeat against Real Sociedad.

Despite that defensive record, Elche scored in nine of their last 11 meetings with Madrid dating back to February 2015, apart from two shutout losses during the 2022/23 campaign: a 3-0 defeat at home and a 4-0 loss away. Real Madrid have scored at least twice in each of their last eight meetings with Elche.

The clubs drew 2-2 in this exact fixture last season after Elche took the lead twice through Aleix Febas and Álvaro Rodríguez. Dean Huijsen and Jude Bellingham later rescued a point for Madrid. Elche have not defeated Real Madrid in any competition since March 1978, when they won at home. They are also winless in their last 19 encounters with Rayo Vallecano.

Ferenc Puskás remains the fixture’s leading scorer, having netted 17 goals against Elche during his Real Madrid spell between 1958 and 1966. In the Copa del Rey round of 16 in January 2022, Gonzalo Verdú gave Elche the lead in extra time before late goals from Isco and Eden Hazard completed a comeback victory for the visitors.

**Real Madrid Starting XI:** Thibaut Courtois; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konaté, Dean Huijsen, Marc Cucurella; Federico Valverde, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Ousmane Diomandé; Arda Güler, Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé.

*Substitutes:* Andrii Lunin, Raul Asencio, Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Endrick, Álvaro Carreras, Espi, Bernardo Silva, Brahim Díaz, Antonio Rüdiger, Denzel Dumfries, Thiago Pitarch.

**Elche Starting XI:** Matías Dituro; Buba Sangare, Federico Redondo, Víctor Chust, Tete Morente; Gonzalo Villar, Marc Aguado, Roy Revivo, Martim Neto; Abiel Osorio, Germán Valera.

*Substitutes:* Alejandro Iturbe, Pedro Bigas, Ezequiel Ponce, Facundo Buonanotte, Fer Niño, Josan, Thomas Lemar, Grady Diangana, Lucas Cepeda, Rubén Sánchez, Matia Barzic, Xavier Morcillo.

Kickoff is scheduled for 20:30 BST (15:30 ET / 12:30 PT). Viewers in the United States can watch through domestic La Liga broadcast partners. In the United Kingdom, live coverage will be available on Premier Sports 1, with streaming through the Premier Sports app. Premier Sports subscription options include an annual plan for £120, a 12-month contract at £11.99 per month, or a flexible monthly pass for £16.99 with a 30-day cancellation policy.