Espanyol vs Elche prediction 18.09.2026 | La Liga

Espanyol enters this one on the back of a disappointing 2-1 defeat against Rayo Vallecano. The Pericos have endured a bumpy ride, floating through a mixed run of two wins, one draw, and three losses across their six La Liga fixtures so far.

It’s a bit shaky compared to their decent 11th-place finish last season. Manolo González's men have been particularly tough to read at home, securing only two wins from their last 13 home games in the Spanish top flight.

I still think their home ground could be a difficult place to visit when the fans turn up as they beat Levante 3-0 on matchday one. Consistency is a massive problem though.

The coach will continue to rely on the services of Roberto Fernández, who scored their lone goal last time out. Meanwhile, Javi Puado is completely out with an injury. Omar El Hilali is also out after seeing a direct red card in the defeat to Rayo Vallecano last time out.

Elche enters this one on the back of a heartbreaking 3-2 home loss against Real Madrid, where a 90th-minute dagger spoiled an incredible comeback.

The Franjiverdes have endured a brutal winless nightmare, picking up just two draws and four defeats across their six opening La Liga games. It's a massive, alarming drop-off from their stellar promotion-winning campaign last season.

Eder Sarabia's men have actually fared slightly better on the road, battling to highly respectable 1-1 draws at Deportivo de A Coruña and Athletic Club. I honestly think their away resilience is heavily underrated by the bookies, but moral victories simply don't put points on the board.

Fer Niño will be pushing for a start after coming off the bench to score his third goal of the campaign against Los Blancos. Meanwhile, Yago Santiago and Adam Boayar are all out with injuries.