Only once since 1994 have Barcelona won three successive La Liga titles, doing so under Pep Guardiola in 2011, but Hansi Flick's side commence their quest to reclaim the trophy on Sunday night.
Barça have won each of their last 12 meetings with Elche, scoring 41 goals across these matches, unbeaten in 25 overall, dating back to 1974. So, will the defending champions make a winning start at Estadio Martínez Valero?
Elche vs Barcelona match info
- Date: Sunday 23 August 2026.
- Kick off times: 9:30pm (local) and 3:30pm (ET)
- Competition: La Liga matchday 1
- Venue: Etadio Martínez Valero - Elche, Alicante
- How to watch: ESPN+ (USA), Movistar+ (Spain) and Premier Sports (UK).
How can I watch Elche vs Barcelona?
Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
USA | ESPN |
Spain | Movistar+ |
United Kingdom & Ireland | Premier Sports 1 |
Canada | TSN3 |
Australia, New Zealand and Arab countries | beIN SPORTS |
Africa | SuperSport MáXimo |
Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Japan & Portugal | DAZN |
Netherlands | Ziggo Sport |
Elche vs Barcelona match preview
Barcelona have dominated La Liga in recent seasons, so how strong will they look their their season opener? In two seasons under Hansi Flick, the Catalan giants have won five out of six domestic honours, clinching last year's league title by beating Real Madrid at Camp Nou in the Clásico, doing so with three games to spare. Thus, Barça's primary focus this season is Champions League success, having not even appeared in a final since 2015, but are also seeking more dominance domestically.
The defending champions are starting a week later than most, allowed to do so due to the expanded World Cup. That though is not to say Barcelona have not had a busy pre-season, playing six matches, including hammering Basel last weekend, before a win over Al Ahly in Wednesday's Joan Gamper Trophy. Now though, the serious business begins, so will Barça pick up three points?
As for Elche, they finished 15th last season, a solid return for a newly-promoted club. Despite this, head coach Eder Sarabia resigned and has been replaced by Martín Anselmi. The 41 year old doesn't stick around anywhere very long, in charge of Porto for just 21 games, before 18 matches as Botafogo boss, meaning it is hard to know quite how good he is.
Unlike their visitors, los Franjiverdes have already commenced their campaign. On Monday night, Elche held Deportivo de A Coruña to a 1-1 draw at Riazor, courtesy of Marc Aguado's late equaliser. So now, can los Ilicitanos beat Barcelona for the first time since 1974? Probably not!
Elche team news
Elche sold striker Álvaro Rodríguez to Bournemouth for €25 million this summer; considering he scored seven times last season, goals could be hard to come by. Thus, new recruit Fer Niño is likely to once again lead the line, while Ezequiel Ponce has also arrived from Houston Dynamo.
Another new signing Facundo Buonanotte. He has arrived on loan from Brighton, after spending last season at Chelsea and Leeds, looking to rediscover his best form in Spain.
Barcelona team news
Barcelona have lost a lot of goals this summer, so will have a new-look attack. Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford have all departed, with Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi both arriving. This makes it pretty clear that Hansi Flick is prioritising pace.
To balance that out, Rodri could make his Barcelona debut, having joined from Manchester City for €60 million. He's not played since the World Cup Final, so may need to get up to speed. Fellow World Cup winners Joan García and Lamine Yamal did start the mid-week friendly, so are set to do so here. Lastly, Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji are sidelined long term.
Predicted Line-ups
- Elche predicted lineup: Dituro; Affengruber, Chust, Redondo; Sangaré, Neto, Aguado, Valera; Villar, Houary, Fer Niño.
- Barcelona predicted lineup: J García; E García, Christensen, Martín, Balde; Bernal, Pedri, Fermín; Lamine Yamal, Gordon, Raphinha.
- Score prediction: Elche 0-3 Barcelona.
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