Athletic Club vs Elche prediction 20.02.2026 | La Liga

Back to back eighth place finishes once felt like a ceiling. Then the Lions pushed into fifth and fourth in the last two seasons. That looked like lift off. This year, however, Ernesto Valverde’s side are ninth, four points shy of the top six. Progress has stalled a little.

Home form is the real irritation. Only three of nine league wins have come at San Mamés. That surprises you when you picture the noise in that stadium.

Recent weeks have steadied things. Three wins in four, including a 2-1 comeback against Real Oviedo. Without Nico Williams, Gorka Guruzeta leads the line, with Iñaki Williams wide and Nico Serrano opposite. Beñat Prados and Unai Egiluz remain out with cruciate injuries, while Maroan Sannadi nurses a knee issue.

Promotion last season felt deserved. Reality in La Liga has been harsher. Eder Sarabia’s side are winless in eight, five defeats in that run, and in four of those matches Elche conceded exactly three. That pattern is worrying.

Los Franjiverdes survive above the bottom three only on goal difference. Another loss could change that by Saturday night.

Álvaro Rodríguez, five goals and four assists in 21 games, should start alongside André Silva, who also has five league strikes. Héctor Fort remains out with a shoulder problem. Otherwise, the squad is intact. Which means excuses are thinning.