Beccacece: Elche heads to the Cup with clear intent
Elche CF travels to Barcelona to face Club Esportiu Europa in the opening round of a single-elimination Copa del Rey clash. The match is scheduled for Wednesday at 18:00 at Nou Sardenya. The Second RFEF side, like Elche, is enjoying a rising spell, having won three of the last five games and drawn two. Their most recent win came 1-0 against Hércules, with a home victory at Cerdanyola among their recent results.
Beccacece: “Elche is going to the Cup with great enthusiasm”
VL Deltell
To relax
This cup tie sees Beccacece protecting his squad from wear and tear while giving minutes to players who are less frequently used. Nine players are unavailable, with three injuries forcing more changes. An unusual training session yesterday saw a larger group of younger players involved as the coach aims to give them as much playing time as possible.
In the press room Beccacece explained that the plan is to travel with most of the staff and decide on the playing personnel based on the day. Elche arrived in Catalonia with 20 players, fourteen of whom belong to the first team. He stressed that in every match the goal is to compete fully, while acknowledging injury setbacks to Borja Garcés, Sergio León, Fidel, Pamies and John. These setbacks require a flexible approach to assembling the squad, while regulars such as Pamies and Rodri Mendoza traveled, joined by Nordin, Dídac, Adam and Houary. The last five are younger players in the group.
Unpredictable eleven
Given the call-ups, Beccacece faces a guessing game over the starting XI, though at least seven or eight players are expected to be regulars. One certainty is Edgar Badia, who is in excellent form and is growing into a leadership role. The coach highlighted the goalkeeper’s maturity and the impact on his professional development, anticipating performances similar to the start of the season. In defense, the central axis could feature Diego González and Álex Martín, with Carreira on the right and Pamies on the left. In midfield, Guti and Cristian Salvador are likely to operate, while Lautaro and Tete Morente could take the wings. Mourad and Mendoza remain options for the attack, with Nordin also available if needed.
Possible alignment
The head coach shared observations from training that reflect the demands of this competition. The squad began with fifteen players, including three goalkeepers, with Jesús López not traveling. The group included those who started on Saturday, and only Borja Garcés was ruled out by injury. Players such as Morente, Josan, Febas, Castro, Nico, Clerc, Bigas, Mario Gaspar and Óscar Plano formed part of the first set, while Rodri, Nordin, Mourad, Lautaro, Guti, Salvador, Martín, Carreira, González and Pamies were in the second group. Beccacece left home with five players who were injured or unavailable for selection.
Regarding the match, Beccacece cautioned about two key factors: the opponents’ familiarity with their own area and the artificial surface, which can affect ball behavior. He noted the need to adapt quickly through training, and warned that Europa is a team that plays with purpose, keeps the ball well, and presses with depth.
The probable Europa lineup features Marc Vito in goal, a back line of Mario, Cano, Campeny, Valeler and Aliağa, a midfield trio of Álex Pla, Pau López and Noel, and a front line with Adri Gené and Eslava. This setup provides a benchmark against which Elche will test its own rotation and depth for this cup tie.