Eibar vs Elche prediction 16.12.2025 | Copa del Rey

Eibar have been living in the second tier since dropping out of La Liga at the end of the 2020–21 season, finishing rock bottom in a campaign that unraveled quickly.

There was genuine hope after that. Los Armeros flirted with promotion the following year and again in 2023–24, when a third-place finish ended in playoff disappointment.

This season, though, has felt like a step backwards. Beñat San José’s side sit just two points off the bottom and arrive here on a four-game league run without a win.

Both recent home matches ended in defeat, and when you fold in a poor recent record against Elche, Tuesday night threatens to test the patience of the Ipurúa crowd.

Javier Martón remains the main attacking reference point with 7 goals in all competitions and should start again, even if the goals have dried up over the last couple of games.

Elche may be newly promoted, but the Green-Striped Ones have not carried themselves like a side just happy to survive.

Finishing second in Segunda División last season seems to have given them momentum, and they have only lost five matches so far.

More impressively, Sarabia’s group have taken points off teams like Athletic Club, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, which hints at a side that knows how to compete.

However, away from home the picture is less convincing. Elche’s only victory on the road this season came against Quintanar in the previous Copa del Rey round, and three of their last four away games have ended in defeat.

Rafa Mir, who has scored six of Elche’s 18 goals in all competitions, remains the obvious danger. If the visitors are going to justify their favourite tag on Tuesday, it probably starts with the former Sevilla and Valencia forward finding a way through.