Racing Santander vs Elche
Zabiri's hat-trick powers Racing Santander
Three first-half strikes set the tone as Racing fend off Elche's late rally.
M. Zabiri stole the show with a first-half hat-trick to give Racing Santander a commanding lead. Despite Elche's spirited response with goals from Buba Sangaré and Fer Niño after the break, Racing held on for a 3-2 victory. Fipster's medium-confidence prediction for a home win was spot on, though the exact scoreline proved more dramatic than expected.
Outcome probability
The new season kicks off with Racing Santander facing Elche in what promises to be a competitive encounter. Both teams are eager to make a strong start, setting the tone for their campaigns ahead.
Key facts
- 1.Racing Santander are newly promoted this season.
- 2.Elche finished 15th in the same division last season with 43 points.
- 3.This is the first league match for both teams this season.
- 4.The predicted scoreline is 2-1 in favour of Racing Santander.
- 5.Draw outcomes have a combined probability of around 24%.
- 6.1-1 is the most likely fulltime scoreline, but 2-1 is a close second.
- 7.Racing Santander have a better goal difference than Elche from last season's data.
- 8.Elche have a higher points-per-game average from last season than Racing Santander.
The context
This fixture marks the first league game for both sides this season. Racing Santander enter as the newly promoted team, stepping up to face Elche, who remain in the same division as last season. With no current-season form to lean on, expectations are shaped by last season's finishes and squad preparations over the summer.
Player Insights
Standout players Fipster expects to impact the match — curated highlights, not full squad lists
Home — Racing Santander
Away — Elche
Analysis
The prediction leans towards a home win for Racing Santander, with a 2-1 scoreline considered the second most likely fulltime result after a 1-1 draw. The probabilities suggest a closely fought match, but with a slight edge to the home side. Elche's experience in the division might keep the contest tight, but Racing's attacking potential is expected to make the difference.
Prediction
Expect Racing Santander to secure a narrow 2-1 victory over Elche. The match should be competitive, with both teams finding the net, but the home side just edging it in what will be an entertaining season opener.
The verdict
As the season gets underway, this fixture sets the stage for an intriguing campaign. Racing Santander will be keen to announce their arrival with a win, while Elche will look to respond and build momentum in the matches to come.
Form as the teams went into this match — excludes this result and anything since.
Team Comparison
Season shape — attack, defence, form, clean sheets & win rate
Home vs Away comparison
Goal difference in each of the last few fixtures — above the line is a net win, below is a net loss
Season comparison
Goals scored & conceded, goal difference and clean sheets across the season
Halftime Performance
What each side does once the whistle goes for half time
Streaks
Recent-form runs — each side’s most-recent game meets in the middle
Head to Head
Zabiri
Zabiri
Zabiri
Assist: Vicente
González
Yellow Card
Mantilla
Yellow Card
Aguado
Houary
Martín
Bigas
Buonanotte
Yellow Card
Zabiri
Buonanotte
Vicente
Buba Sangaré
Assist: Cepeda
Fer Niño
Assist: Tete Morente
Buba Sangaré
Canales
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Barcelona | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | +24 | 21 |
| 15 |  Real Sociedad | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 7 |
| 16 |  Racing Santander | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -10 | 7 |
| 17 |  Levante | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -4 | 5 |
| 18 |  Elche | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -6 | 5 |
| 19 |  Valencia | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -8 | 4 |
Match Statistics
Racing Santander
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 2Álvaro MantillaD
- 4Manu HernandoD
- 8G. PuertaM
- 10Iñigo VicenteM
- 11Andrés MartínM
- 13Julen AgirrezabalaG
- 16Facundo GonzálezD
- 17Jorge SalinasD
- 20Sergio CanalesM
- 21M. ZabiriF
- 23Iván MartínM
Substitutes
- 1S. ErikssonG
- 5Pablo RamónD
- 6Íñigo Sainz-MazaM
- 7G. GuliashviliF
- 9Juan Carlos AranaF
- 12Asier VillalibreF
- 14M. GueyeM
- 18M. PratiM
- 30C. SanchezD
- 34D. DiazM
- 36Sergio MartínezM
Elche
5-4-1Starting XI
- 1M. DituroG
- 2Buba SangaréD
- 6BigasD
- 8Marc AguadoM
- 10F. BuonanotteM
- 11Germán ValeraD
- 12Gonzalo VillarM
- 14Fer NiñoF
- 22D. AffengruberD
- 23Víctor ChustD
- 29Ali HouaryM
Substitutes
- 5F. RedondoM
- 9E. PonceF
- 16Martim NetoM
- 17JosanM
- 19G. DianganaF
- 20Tete MorenteF
- 21L. CepedaF
- 24A. OsorioF
- 26Matia Barzic GutiérrezD
- 30Alvaro PadillaF
- 43Alejandro IturbeG
- 47J. MorcilloM
Racing Santander
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yassir Zabiri | F | 69 | 10.0 | 3 | — | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| Gustavo Puerta | M | 94 | 7.7 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1/2 |
| Iñigo Vicente | M | 69 | 7.6 | — | 1 | — | — | 6 | 0/2 |
| Andrés Martín | M | 59 | 7.5 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4/5 |
| Iván Martín | M | 94 | 7.2 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — |
| Julen Agirrezabala | G | 94 | 7.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sergio Canales | M | 85 | 6.9 | — | — | 4 | 1 | — | 0/1 |
| Manu Hernando | D | 94 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Alvaro Mantilla(C) | D | 94 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Facundo González | D | 94 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jorge Salinas | D | 94 | 5.9 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 0/1 |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Carlos Sánchez | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pablo Ramón | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Íñigo Sáinz-Maza | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Juan Carlos Arana | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Simon Eriksson | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sergio Martinez | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Diego Díaz | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Asier Villalibre | F | 25 | 7.0 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| Matteo Prati | M | 35 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Maguette Gueye | M | 9 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Giorgi Guliashvili | F | 25 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Elche
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fernando Niño | F | 94 | 7.5 | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | — | 1/4 |
| David Affengruber | D | 94 | 7.0 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — |
| Gonzalo Villar | M | 94 | 6.9 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0/1 |
| Buba Sangaré | D | 84 | 6.9 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 0/3 |
| Víctor Chust | D | 94 | 6.9 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1/1 |
| Matías Dituro | G | 94 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Facundo Buonanotte | M | 69 | 6.3 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2/3 |
| Pedro Bigas(C) | D | 62 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Marc Aguado | M | 45 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ali Houary | M | 45 | 5.9 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1/2 |
| Germán Valera | D | 94 | 5.9 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0/2 |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Grady Diangana | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Martim Neto | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Federico Redondo | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Alejandro Iturbe | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Abiel Osorio | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Matia Barzić | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Alvaro Padilla | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tete Morente | F | 49 | 6.9 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1/2 |
| Josan | M | 10 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1/1 |
| Ezequiel Ponce | F | 49 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lucas Cepeda | F | 25 | 6.3 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 0/1 |
| Javi Morcillo | M | 32 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Prediction Q&A
- Who did Fipster predict to win Racing Santander vs Elche?
- Fipster's AI model predicted Racing Santander to win against Elche.
- What score did Fipster predict for Racing Santander vs Elche?
- Fipster predicted a final score of Racing Santander 2–1 Elche.
- What were the win probabilities for Racing Santander vs Elche?
- Fipster's model gave Racing Santander a 56% chance of winning, Elche a 22% chance, and a 22% chance of a draw.
- How confident was Fipster in this prediction?
- Fipster's model assigned this prediction 56% confidence — a medium-confidence call.