Villarreal will host Elche in La Liga on Sunday in a fixture that could affect Villarreal’s hold on fourth place and Elche’s fight to avoid relegation. Kickoff is scheduled for 9: 00 a. m. ET, and the match matters because Villarreal sit fourth while Elche are 17th, two points outside the relegation zone in the table as it stands.
Villarreal Vs Elche: Head-to-heads, recent meetings and venue
The two clubs have met 22 times historically, with Villarreal holding an 8-7 edge in wins. Villarreal recorded a 3-1 victory in the reverse fixture earlier this season and were 4-0 winners in the corresponding game in 2022-23; Elche did beat Villarreal in February 2023, but Elche have not beaten Villarreal on the road since May 2013. The match is set to take place at Estadio de la Ceramica, with kickoff at 9: 00 a. m. ET on Sunday, March 8, 2026.
Marcelino’s Villarreal: form, home record and injury list
Villarreal have compiled 16 wins, three draws and seven defeats from 26 league matches, totaling 51 points and sitting fourth in La Liga, level on points with third-placed Atletico Madrid. At home they have been strong, taking 31 points from 13 league games with 10 home wins. Head coach Marcelino will be without Juan Foyth, Pau Cabanes, Logan Costa and Willy Kambwala due to injury, while Gerard Moreno faces a late fitness test on a thigh problem. Marcelino is expected to largely keep his side intact, though Alfonso Pedraza could be introduced at left-back and Georges Mikautadze looks set to be joined in the final third by Ayoze Perez.
Elche’s challenge: standings, goals and selection concerns
Elche occupy 17th place with a record of five wins, 11 draws and 10 defeats from 26 matches, giving them 26 points — two points outside the relegation zone. The Green-striped side have scored 34 goals this season, an encouraging attacking return that underpins their survival push. Recent results include a 2-2 draw with Espanyol and a 2-1 loss at Athletic Bilbao. Selection issues persist: Yago Santiago remains unavailable through suspension, on-loan defender Hector Fort is out with a shoulder injury, and Pedro Bigas was replaced at halftime versus Espanyol with Victor Chust a possible introduction.
Simulation projections for villarreal vs elche and betting markets
A simulation model that ran 10, 000 iterations projects Villarreal as the most likely winner, assigning a 61. 7% probability to a Villarreal victory, a 17. 6% chance to Elche and a 20. 6% chance of a draw. The model also puts the 2. 5-goal over/under at a 59% probability of going over, with the most likely single scoreline listed as a 2-0 victory for Villarreal in those projections.
Kickoff for this fixture is confirmed for Sunday, March 8, 2026, at 9: 00 a. m. ET.
