Racing Santander vs Elche prediction 28.08.2026 | La Liga

After 14 years, Racing Santander finally returned to La Liga, and their primary goal for the 2026/27 campaign is to avoid relegation. Racing Santander doesn't have many resources to invest this summer, and this could be a long season for them. José Alberto López's team had an unconvincing preseason, and it is not surprising they opened La Liga with only one point in two matches. After a solid 2-2 against Villarreal, they lost 1-0 on the road against Getafe in the next match. 

Racing Santander is very active in their attempts to improve their team this summer. Racing is very close to signing defensive midfielder Matteo Prati on loan from Cagliari. The player appeared in 33 Serie A rounds last season. Also, according to reports, José Alberto López's team is close to adding Jeremy Arevalo (Stuttgart) and Ulisses Garcia (Marseille). 

Racing Santander have almost a full squad available for Friday's game, as Pedro Felipe should be the only one out due to a hamstring injury. 

Last season, Elche barely escaped relegation. They finished with only one point more than the drop zone. Elche would choose a less stressful 2026/27 campaign, but realistically, it wouldn't be surprising if they return to La Liga next year. After a solid preseason, Elche started the domestic league with a draw with Deportivo La Coruña. Last week, in their most recent outing, Elche lost 5-0 at home against Barcelona. 

The summer transfer window closes next week, and there is no doubt that Elche is trying to complete more transfers. Recently, there were some talks that they could add Zakaria Aboukhlal from Torino, but nothing is official yet. Also, it wouldn't be surprising if the best Elche player, defender David Affengruber, leaves the team. Without Affengruber, they would be significantly weaker and would need to react quickly in the market. 

Elche have some problems with missing players, too. They will be without Yago Santiago and Adam Boayar on Friday in Santander.