Image Source: Alamy Stock Photo
2025-26 Spanish La Liga
Matchday 19
Valencia v Elche
Estadio de Mestalla
Valencia, Spain
Saturday, 10 January 2026
Kick-off is at 22h00
La Liga newcomers Elche will be buoyed by their promising start to the season when they clash with struggling Valencia at the Mestalla on Saturday, January 10 in the late kick-off.
Los Franjiverdes went into the festive break in the top half of the table after winning five of their opening 17 matches and starting with a seven-game unbeaten run.
Eder Sarabia's side then endured a bit of a slump, picking up just three points from their next seven outings which didn't produce a single win before their form improved in December.
A 4-0 rout of Rayo Vallecano on December 21 lifted them up to ninth place above Getafe, who lost to Real Betis by the same scoreline on matchday 17.
Image Source: Alamy Stock Photo
However, the Alicante outfit began 2026 on a low note after suffering a 3-1 defeat at the hands of high-flying Villarreal on January 3.
Los Ches have slipped in the relegation zone after crashing to a 4-1 loss against Celta Vigo on January 3, leaving them two points adrift of safety in 18th spot.
Carlos Corberan's side brought the curtain down in 2025 with a 1-1 draw against Real Mallorca on December 19 which extended their winless run to five games.
Sarabia admitted the result against the Yellow Submarine will serve as a learning experience for his team, but was pleased with their performance in the first half as they had chances to equalise.
"In the first 15 minutes, they played exactly as they wanted, and they hurt us on two occasions. That hampered us, but even so, we then played a wonderful 30 minutes," he said.
"In the second half, we struggled a bit more; we couldn't find clear chances and as time went on, we were vulnerable to counter-attacks. Nobody should be surprised by the match and what happened.
"We had chances, and if we had equalised, no-one would have said it was unfair. We showed that we can compete with anyone . It hurts to lose the first game of 2026, but against teams of this caliber, details can cost you and we should learn from this."
Head-to-Head (Last Five La Liga Meetings)
Matches - 5
Valencia wins - 4
Elche wins - 0
Draws - 1
La Liga Matchday 19 fixtures:
Friday, January 9
22h00: Getafe v Real Sociedad
Saturday, January 10
15h00: Real Oviedo v Real Betis
17h15: Villarreal v Alaves
19h30: Girona v Osasuna
22h00: Valencia v Elche
Sunday, January 11
15h00: Rayo Vallecano v Real Mallorca
17h15: Levante v Espanyol
Monday, January 12
22h00: Sevilla v Celta Vigo
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