Match Information
Match Overview
Villarreal host Elche at Estadio de la Cerámica on October 17 in Regular Season Round 9 of La Liga. Matchday 9 is a point where the season is starting to take shape, and the two sides arrive in different parts of the table: Villarreal are 11th and Elche are 18th.
The league position gap is the most relevant context. Elche's 18th place puts them in the lower reaches of the standings, while Villarreal sit in mid-table. Elche's recent league results show a side that has been competitive without turning that into consistent points. They drew 0-0 with Celta Vigo at home on October 11 and won 3-1 at Espanyol on September 18. In between, they lost 3-2 to Real Madrid on September 15 and drew 1-1 at Athletic Club on September 12. They also lost 3-2 to Real Sociedad on September 7. Elche have scored in four of their last five league games, but they have conceded in four of them as well.
Villarreal's recent run is mixed but carries more attacking output. They lost 1-0 at Real Madrid on October 10 in La Liga, after beating Levante 3-1 at home on September 20 and Malaga 3-1 away on September 17. They also beat Napoli 3-1 at home in the UEFA Champions League on October 13, a midweek fixture that adds a schedule consideration ahead of this game. Villarreal were beaten 2-1 at home by Real Betis on September 14.
Neither club has any reported unavailable players, so both managers, Inigo Perez and Martin Anselmi, should have full squads to choose from. That gives each side the chance to repeat or adjust its last lineup without enforced changes.
The recent head-to-head also favors Villarreal, who won both meetings in the 2025-26 sequence in the data, on January 3 and March 8. This fixture combines Villarreal's home setting and recent scoring with Elche's need for league points.
Predicted Lineups
Villarreal
Luiz Junior; S. Mourino, P. Navarro, R. Veiga, C. Romero; N. Saliba, S. Comesana, P. Gueye, A. Moleiro; G. Moreno, G. Mikautadze
Elche
M. Dituro; R. Sanchez, J. Morcillo, V. Chust, R. Revivo, G. Valera; G. Villar, M. Aguado, T. Lemar; Tete Morente, F. Nino
Team Form Analysis
Villarreal
League Position: 11Villarreal Form Analysis
Villarreal's last five matches across competitions produced three wins and two defeats. In La Liga, the picture is split: a 2-1 home loss to Real Betis on September 14, then a 3-1 win at Malaga on September 17 and a 3-1 home win over Levante on September 20, before a 1-0 defeat at Real Madrid on October 10.
The attack has been productive. Villarreal scored three goals in each of their three wins, including the 3-1 UEFA Champions League home victory over Napoli on October 13. That is nine goals across those three wins, and the only match in which they failed to score was at Real Madrid.
Defensively, they conceded in four of the five matches, with Napoli, Levante, Malaga and Betis all scoring against them. The clean-sheet-free run means they have usually needed to score at least twice to take points.
The opposition has been varied. Real Madrid and Napoli represent high-level tests, and Villarreal came away with a win against Napoli and a narrow defeat at Real Madrid. The October 13 European fixture also means they have a recent midweek game before the Elche match on October 17.
Elche
League Position: 18Elche Form Analysis
Elche's last five La Liga matches yielded one win, two draws and two defeats. The most recent result was a 0-0 home draw with Celta Vigo on October 11, their only goalless game in the sequence and the only match in which they did not concede.
Before that, they won 3-1 at Espanyol on September 18, the high point of the run. They had lost 3-2 at home to Real Madrid on September 15, drawn 1-1 at Athletic Club on September 12, and lost 3-2 at home to Real Sociedad on September 7.
Attacking output has been steady. Elche scored nine goals across the five matches, including two in each of the home defeats by Real Madrid and Real Sociedad. They scored in four of the five matches.
Defensively, they conceded eight goals, with the three-goal concessions against Real Madrid and Real Sociedad the biggest concerns. Even so, the Celta Vigo draw shows they can tighten up. The opposition in the sequence has included Real Madrid, Athletic Club and Real Sociedad, so the results have come against demanding opponents. They now travel to a Villarreal side that has scored three goals in three of its last five matches.
Head-to-Head
Villarreal
Elche
Recent Meetings
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-08 | Villarreal | 2 - 1 | Elche |
| 2026-01-03 | Elche | 1 - 3 | Villarreal |
| 2023-02-04 | Elche | 3 - 1 | Villarreal |
| 2022-09-04 | Villarreal | 4 - 0 | Elche |
| 2022-01-16 | Elche | 1 - 0 | Villarreal |
| 2021-09-22 | Villarreal | 4 - 1 | Elche |
| 2021-02-06 | Elche | 2 - 2 | Villarreal |
| 2020-12-06 | Villarreal | 0 - 0 | Elche |
| 2015-05-10 | Villarreal | 1 - 0 | Elche |
| 2015-01-03 | Elche | 2 - 2 | Villarreal |
Memorable Matches
The most recent meetings both went Villarreal's way. On March 8, 2026, Villarreal won 2-1 over Elche, and on January 3, 2026, they won 3-1 away from home, which gives them a strong recent record in this fixture.
Further back, the September 4, 2022 meeting stands out for its scale, as Villarreal won 4-0 at home. They also won 4-1 at home on September 22, 2021, which makes two heavy home victories in the data.
Elche have had their moments too. On February 4, 2023, they won 3-1 at home, and on January 16, 2022, they won 1-0 at home. The February 6, 2021 game ended 2-2 at Elche, so this series has produced a mix of results despite Villarreal's recent edge.
Venue Factor
Estadio de la Cerámica is the setting for this Round 9 fixture, and Villarreal's recent home results are a useful guide. They beat Levante 3-1 on September 20 and Napoli 3-1 in the UEFA Champions League on October 13, but lost 2-
Injury Concerns
Villarreal
Elche
