The Yellow Submarine will look to earn three points against Elche and stay in the fight for third place (Sunday, 2.00pm)
Villarreal host Elche CF this Sunday at 2.00pm at the Estadio de la Cerámica. The Yellow Submarine return home after their most recent setback away to FC Barcelona (4-1), a highly demanding match in which Villarreal competed in one of the toughest stadiums in the league. Now, Marcelino García Toral’s side — who were in excellent form heading into the game in Barcelona — aim to get back to winning ways in front of their fans and secure their fifth regional derby victory of the season.
On the other side will be an Elche side that have not started 2026 on the right foot. In fact, Villarreal defeated them in the first match of the year for both teams. That day, the Yellow Submarine claimed a prestigious victory at the Martínez Valero (1-3). They became the first team to win at the stadium, which had remained unbeaten until Matchday 18. Goals from Moleiro, Mikautadze and Alfonso Pedraza sealed a valuable win in one of the toughest away fixtures.
After an excellent first half of the season, Elche have not been able to find wins in this second part of the campaign. A situation that has forced them to stop looking towards Europe and instead fight to move away from the lower positions in the table.
Even so, none of this has been enough to make them change their style of play: attractive, vertical and very associative. In their most recent match against RCD Espanyol (2-2), Eder Sarabia’s side showed great competitiveness in a very evenly matched game in which the scoreline did not fully reflect the strong level of the Elche team, who, despite everything, have not managed a victory since December.
Previous meetings: reliability at home against Elche
The head‑to‑head record between the two teams in Vila‑real is favourable for the Yellow Submarine. In the top flight, Elche have never won at the Estadio de la Cerámica. Of the five previous meetings between the sides at this venue, Villarreal have recorded three wins and two draws.
The most recent clash at the Estadio de la Cerámica dates back to the 2021/22 season, when Villarreal earned a convincing 4‑1 victory. The following season, the Yellow Submarine repeated the heavy win over Elche (4‑0) in a match played at the Ciutat de València due to the renovation works at La Cerámica.
