Racing Santander and Elche meet in La Liga with both promoted sides still seeking a first win after drawing one and losing one. The hosts have heavily rotated with seven regulars missing from the starting XI, while Elche are also missing five usual starters, adding unpredictabili…
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Sign inRacing Santander welcome Elche on Friday evening, 28 August 2026, in the third round of the 2026-27 La Liga season. Both sides are seeking a first league victory after hard-fought draws in their opening fixtures: Racing led 2-0 at home against Villarreal before being pegged back to 2-2, while Elche returned from Deportivo A Coruña with a 1-1 draw.
Racing Santander remain without defender Pedro Felipe, who has a micro-tear of the hamstring. Forward Giorgi Guliashvili is only beginning a gradual return after surgery for a fractured right fibula, and Yassir Zabiri is a doubt after a viral illness disrupted his training week. Manu Hernando, who replaced Felipe early against Villarreal, is expected to continue in the backline as coach José Alberto López weighs how to balance attacking intent with better protection behind the midfield.
Elche have four confirmed absentees. Yago Santiago, Grady Diangana, Abiel Osorio and Adam Boayar are all sidelined through injury, leaving new head coach Martín Anselmi with a reduced squad. The departures of last season's main forwards — André Silva, Rafa Mir and Álvaro Rodríguez — have not yet been compensated for, so the visitors are still searching for their best combination in the final third.
Back in La Liga after winning the Segunda División, Racing opened with a 2-2 home draw against Villarreal that showed both promise and fragility. The Cantabrians stormed into a two-goal lead before the more experienced visitors fought back, exposing gaps when the midfield line was broken. José Alberto operates with a 4-2-3-1 that gives creative licence to Iñigo Vicente and Canales between the lines, but the emphasis this week has been on controlling the space behind the double pivot.
Anselmi has maintained the 3-5-2 system used by his predecessor Eder Sarabia, and the approach yielded over 60 percent possession at Riazor on matchday one. However, Elche failed to convert control into goals, scoring only a single goal in that 1-1 draw. Without the firepower that kept them up last season, the Franjiverdes will rely heavily on wing-backs and central overloads to create chances, which makes them predictable if the opposition sits compact. The fitness of Diangana and Santiago had been touch-and-go, and their absence robs the attack of direct runners.
Racing's best route to goal runs through Iñigo Vicente and Canales, who float into pockets behind the opposition's midfield line. Elche's 3-5-2 stations Marc Aguado and Gonzalo Villar in central areas, often with a third midfielder dropping in. The duel between Racing's two playmakers and Elche's screening unit will dictate how much space opens up for the home side's wide forwards. If Vicente and Canales are allowed to turn and face goal, Racing have the tools to hurt an Elche defence that has not kept a clean sheet in its last five La Liga outings dating back to last season.
With both managers still shaping new-look sides, the third round arrives at a delicate stage. Racing want to make their home ground a fortress in a comeback campaign, while Elche need to prove their possession-heavy style can deliver points without proven finishers.
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