Elche’s Struggle: Pointless Slips in the Fight to Avoid Relegation
Elche CF is staring at a near miss with the second division after a season that has tested the club’s depth and resolve. A run of poor results has left the squad chasing safety far sooner than expected, and time is running out for the Franciverdes to reverse course.
In a calendar that has felt like a trapdoor, Elche managed only two wins and five draws in thirty league matches. That haul places the Basque-notion of risk at the forefront for most of the campaign, with a recent defeat to Valencia delivering another heavy blow to the club and its supporters.
Elche Can’t Beat Anyone
Elche currently sits on a precarious thirteen points, flanked by relegation contenders and just behind Valencia and another distant danger zone. The battle to escape the drop grows fiercer by the match. Almería, Getafe, and Cádiz are all within striking distance and pressing hard. Valladolid and Celta sit a bit further back but remain in the mix. Seville, Girona, Mallorca, and Rayo Vallecano have breathing space yet cannot be dismissed from the fight for a top-half finish or avoiding the bottom two spots altogether.
Two crucial matchdays this week could decide Elche’s fate and mathematically confirm whether the team will play in the silver division next season. The plan includes a Wednesday evening showdown against Celta Vigo and a Saturday home game at Martínez Valero versus Rayo Vallecano. If Sebastián Beccacece’s squad fails to score in either fixture, Elche would be relegated regardless of how the other teams perform in their battles that weekend. With seventeen points separating them from safety and only six games remaining, the road to redemption becomes steeper as the points tally dwindles toward the final stretch of the season.
La Liga Not Giving Up, Two Big Matches This Week: The Schedule and Where to Watch Celta-Elche On TV
For a long stretch, Elche maintained its status in Spain’s top flight, with the club looking to build on its tradition. In a summer that saw managerial and strategic shifts, the club laid out plans to map the project for next season and remained focused on finishing the current campaign with dignity. The remaining incentive centers not on glory but on adding as many points as possible to avoid the worst Elche in league history.
CLASSIFICATION:
9 – Rayo Vallecano 40 points
10 – Mallorca 40
11 – Girona 38
12 – Sevilla 38
13 – Celtic 36
14 – Valladolid 35
15 – Cadiz 32
16 – Getafe 31
17 – Almería 30
18 – Valencia 30
19 – Espanyol 28
20 – Elche 13
[Attribution: La Liga data]