Elche v Barcelona: Full lineups announced for LaLiga Matchday 2 at Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero

Elche and FC Barcelona have named their starting XIs and substitutes for the LaLiga 2026-27 Matchday 2 fixture at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero on Sunday, August 23, 2026, with the visitors bidding to begin their title defence. The clubs confirmed full squads ahead of the match scheduled for that evening in Spain.

Elche return to the top flight after earning promotion and finished 15th in LaLiga last season; manager Martín Anselmi will aim to replicate that performance and preserve their place in the division. Barcelona head into the game as reigning LaLiga champions who “ran away to the LaLiga title last season” and are described as heavy favourites for this fixture. The Blaugrana have added Rodri and Joao Cancelo to their squad ahead of the campaign, and the club expects fans to see those signings make their league debuts tonight. History is noted as working against Elche, who have not beaten Barcelona in over half a century.

Elche’s starting lineup is Matias Dituro; Buba Sangare, David Affengruber, Federico Redondo, Victor Chust, German Valera; Ali Houary, Gonzalo Villar, Marc Aguado, Tete Morente; Fernando Nino. Their substitutes are Alejandro Iturbe (gk), Pedro Bigas, Ezequiel Ponce, Facundo Buounanotte, Martim Neto, Josan, Grady Diangana, Lucas Cepeda, Matia Barzic Gutierrez, Alvaro Padilla, Umaru Konare Tounkara, Javi Morcillo. The club shared the lineup on social media.

Barcelona’s starting XI is Joan Garcia; Xavi Espart, Eric Garcia, Andreas Christensen, Gerard Martin; Marc Bernal, Gavi; Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Raphinha; Karim Adeyemi. Their bench includes Wojciech Szczesny (gk), Eder Aller (gk), Joao Cancelo, Pau Cubarsi, Pedri, Anthony Gordon, Dani Olmo, Jules Kounde, Alvaro Cortes Moyano, Brian Farinas, Hamza Abdelkarim, Jordi Pesquer. Joao Cancelo is listed among the substitutes for the visitors.

The Matchday 2 fixture will be played on Sunday, August 23, 2026, at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero in Elche, Spain. For viewers in India the match is scheduled to kick off at 1:00 AM IST on Monday, August 24, 2026. Khel Now has noted the kickoff times and venue in its preview and lineup announcement.

For further updates and live coverage, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or via the Khel Now Android and iOS apps; the outlet also offers community channels on WhatsApp and Telegram. The piece was written by Sushruta, who has covered football for over two years with a focus on Indian and international competitions.