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Elche
La Liga
Feb 22, 2015 at 8pm UK
 
Real Madrid logo

0-2

FT(HT: 0-0)
Benzema (56'), Ronaldo (69')

Preview: Elche vs. Real Madrid

Sports Mole previews the La Liga encounter between Elche and league leaders Real Madrid.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti takes his side to play Elche on Sunday with his squad having recovered from their 4-0 defeat at rivals Atletico Madrid.

The humbling loss to last year's La Liga winners could have derailed Real's excellent campaign, but successive wins and clean sheets against Deportivo la Coruna and Schalke 04 have helped steady the ship at the Bernabeu.

Ancelotti will also be encouraged after seeing Cristiano Ronaldo net his first goal since January 18, but the Portuguese attacker has still only scored in four of his last 11 matches in all competitions.

Midfielder Lucas Silva could remain in the side after making his first start for the club, with changes likely to be kept to a minimum as Fabio Coentrao, Sami Khedira, James Rodriguez, Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric are all sidelined through injury.

Elche have spent the majority of the La Liga campaign in the bottom three but four wins from six games have sparked an incredible turnaround at Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero.

Thirteen points from seven games have helped the Franjiverdes move four points clear of the relegation zone, a record made all the more impressive after they suffered a 6-0 home defeat to Barcelona during the middle of their current run.

That setback could have demoralised an improving team, but aside from that loss, Elche have been superb in defence, conceding just once in their other four outings.

An injury doubt remains over David Lomban, but if the defender is declared fit, manager Fran Escriba is likely to name the same team that defeated Eibar on Monday night.

Elche:

Form in La Liga: WWLLWW
Form in all competitions: LWLLWW

Possible starting lineup: Tyton, Lomban, Suarez, Edu Albacar, Roco, Aaron Niguez, Adrian, Fajr, Pasalic, Jonathas, Victor Rodriguez

Real Madrid:

Form in La Liga: WWWWLW
Form in all competitions: WWWLWW

Possible starting lineup: Casillas; Carvajal, Pepe, Varane, Marcelo; Silva, Kroos, Isco; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo

Sports Mole says: 0-4


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3Atletico MadridAtletico126511871123
4Villarreal116322019121
5Osasuna126331716121
6Athletic Bilbao125431812619
7Real BetisBetis125431210219
8Mallorca12534109118
9Rayo Vallecano114431210216
10Real Sociedad124351010015
11GironaGirona124351517-215
12Sevilla124351217-515
13Celta Vigo114161720-313
14AlavesAlaves124171419-513
15Leganes122551216-411
16Getafe1117389-110
17Espanyol123181122-1110
18Las PalmasLas Palmas122371321-89
19Real ValladolidValladolid12228924-158
20Valencia11146817-97


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