Deportivo’s return to La Liga begins with a favorable opponent: prediction for Deportivo vs Elche
The opening round of the Spanish championship between Deportivo and Elche will take place on August 17, 2026. The club from La Coruña is back in La Liga after an eight-year absence, while the visitors only managed to retain their spot in the top flight last season, finishing 15th.
Deportivo: a newcomer with no plans to play the underdog
Deportivo finished second in the Segunda and earned direct promotion, keeping Antonio Hidalgo and the core of their squad over the summer. Their preseason was impressive: they drew with Fiorentina, beat Genoa 1-0, and only narrowly lost to Real Madrid - 0-1.
The club has already spent around €25 million on reinforcements, signing Angeliño, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Leo Román. At the same time, Hidalgo is changing the team’s structure, switching between a 4-4-2 and 4-3-1-2 formation, and Yeremay Hernández has recovered from injury and could feature during the match.
Elche: too many losses for one summer
After a bright first half of last season, Elche faded noticeably, and this summer the project underwent a major overhaul. Eder Sarabia left, with Martín Anselmi - who has never worked in Spain before—taking over as head coach, and the club lost several key players along with their manager.
Aleix Febas moved to Celta, while Rafa Mir, André Silva, and Álvaro Rodríguez - who combined for 25 of the team’s 40 goals last campaign - also departed. New signings Ezequiel Ponce, Fer Niño, and Abiel Osorio are expected to fill the void, but in terms of quality and chemistry, the attack currently looks weaker than last year’s.
Match facts and head-to-head stats
- Deportivo have won four of their last six home matches.
- Elche have lost four of their last six away games.
- In five of the last six head-to-heads, only one team has scored.
Difference in readiness could decide the outcome: prediction for Deportivo vs Elche
Deportivo enter the new season with much more cohesion: the coach and core players remain, and the squad has been significantly strengthened. The team has already shown in friendlies that they can organize themselves well even against higher-level opponents.
Elche, on the other hand, have lost their coach, a key midfielder, and three main strikers, and their away record last year was the worst in the league. In this situation, it makes sense to give the edge to the home side.
