Date
Elche hosts Racing Santander at Martínez Valero on Saturday night at 21:00, presenting a largely refreshed attacking line as they prepare to play the fourth round of LaLiga Hypermotion. Two of the newcomers have already joined training under Sebastián Beccacece since yesterday: Sergio León, who arrived from Valladolid, and Borja Garcés, on loan from Atlético de Madrid and with previous experience at their affiliate. Both players are stepping into match condition after their pre-season duties with their clubs. (Fuente: club announcements)
Although there is limited time to fully absorb the Argentine coach’s philosophy, Mourad remains the only established center forward option up top, meaning either León or Garcés could debut against Racing today. Racing Santander comes off a 4-0 win at Eibar in their opening fixture and settled for a 0-0 draw at home against Huesca in the most recent outing. (Fuente: league reports)
Date
The visitors have visited Elche’s stadium seventeen times, ten of those meetings coming in the Second Division and seven in the First. Elche has won ten of those encounters, with five draws and two wins recorded by the guests, both in the current league format. (Fuente: historical records)
The last Elche vs Racing Santander clash occurred in the 1984-1985 season, finishing 2-0 in favor of Elche. Juan Caballero and Germán Leguía scored for the home side, who lined up behind coach who led the team at that time, along with players such as Ruiz Cervilla, Recio, Ruiz Cámara, Adriano Cano, Morgado, Anquela, Belanche, and Boria. (Fuente: season archives)
Alignment
Elche begins this matchday without Lucas Boyé, who moved to Granada in La Liga, and with two players sidelined by injuries, John Chetauya with a fractured right fibula and Cristian Salvador with a back tibial muscle issue. Álex Martín is also a doubt due to a minor left adductor problem. (Fuente: medical updates)
With these absences, Beccacece can call on 17 players for the first squad, including the two new forwards and Rodri Mendoza from the youth ranks. The starting XI could shift depending on how Cristian Salvador recovers from his latest setback. Beccacece indicated that Raúl Guti or Aleix Febas could step in if needed. (Fuente: team news)
From the Villarreal B clash, where Elche earned their first win of the season by 1-0, Edgar Badía is expected to start in goal, and the defensive line might stay the same. Mario Gaspar operates on the right and Pedro Bigas on the left, with Josan Ferrández and Carlos Clerc providing width on either side. In midfield, Nico Fernández Mercau, Cristian Salvador, and Nico Castro could return to the lineup, replacing Tete Morente. In attack, Fidel and Mourad are likely to feature again, with Sergio León potentially entering if the coach chooses to rotate. (Fuente: match report)
Rival
Racing Santander’s roster and tactical shape are under the watch of José Alberto López Menéndez. Jokin Ezkieta is expected to start in goal, with a back four of Saúl García, Rubén González, Germán Sánchez, and Álvaro Mantilla. Sainz-Maza and Aldasoro provide links to the attacking trio of Íñigo Vicente, Peque, and Lago Junior, while Ekain Zenitagoia is a key figure in midfield, driving play and distribution. (Fuente: team overview)