Villarreal vs Elche prediction 08.03.2026 | La Liga

Villarreal have another good season. After finishing in fifth position last year, the Yellow Submarine is on course to finish inside the top four La Liga teams and secure another appearance in the Champions League. The only concern is Villarreal's slightly troublesome form, as they won in only three of the last five league rounds. Last weekend, they lost 4-1 on the road against Barcelona. The hosts ended with xG of 3.20, while the guests had only 1.31, so it is no wonder Villarreal left empty-handed.

After a defeat at Camp Nou, Villarreal's head coach, Marcelino, spoke about what is necessary for his team to improve to match teams like Barcelona. He said, "We had chances to create more danger. We did so on several occasions. But we didn't deliver the final blow, although we did make progress. Obviously, I would have liked to capitalize on it much more, even though we did quite a few times. We lacked better decision-making. We were fixated on the long pass and didn't make the diagonal pass to the other side."

Ayoze Perez, Juan Foyth, Logan Costa, and Pau Cabanes are injured and will not play on Sunday against Elche. Also, Willy Kambwala and Gerard Moreno are questionable, and their status will be clearer closer to the kickoff.

After only one season in the Spanish top flight, Elche could return to La Liga 2. They are only two points above the drop zone, and every point could prove crucial in a couple of months. Elche's form doesn't offer much optimism, as they haven't won in their last ten matches. In the previous outing, Elche played 2-2 at home against Espanyol. The hosts were close to another defeat, but the goal late in the second half secured a valuable point.

After a draw against Espanyol, Elche's head coach, Eder Sarabia, was clear about what his team is missing to improve. He commented, "When you lack that courage, you don't position yourself as well as you should, you don't pass as well as you should. However, I appreciated the team's reaction. In difficulty, at least they are showing pride, character, and trying until the end. Without finding a better version of ourselves for what's coming, it won't be the way forward."

Hector Fort and Yago Alonso are unavailable for the trip to Villarreal, while German Valera is questionable.