Villarreal and Beyond

If you follow La Liga outside of the occasional match, you may be aware of Elche’s turbulent weeks, both in terms of form, and otherwise. The team from Alicante has made headlines not necessarily for their care-free and entertaining style of play, but instead, for two situations involving the same player: striker Rafa Mir.

The 28-year-old from Cartagena was placed on bail back in 2025 for an alleged sexual attack crime a 21 year old woman accused him of. As the trial nears, the player states he is“feeling calm” about the situation. Regardless, it is all very out in the open and in process. 

The prosecution is asking for over 10 years of prison, as well as a 13 year restraining order from the victim, and payment for damages to the victim upwards of 60,000 Euro. The player says he is “very much looking forward to the trial” so that he can “show he is innocent.”

If that weren’t enough for Elche, the striker is also under scrutiny for a hate crime against Espanyol player Omar El Hilali, who he allegedly told he came to Spain “On a raft.” El Hilali, who was born in Spain, spoke to the referee much like VInicius Jr. did in the Benfica match. The anti-racism protocol was activated, and the match paused.

The Spanish Federation’s Discipline Committee did not ban the player immediately, but did agree to “open a private investigation” to clarify and establish the facts, and agree on whether an actual decision should be taken against Rafa Mir. 

All this being said, the striker is still available for his club, and the decision to play or not will come from Elche’s manager, Eder Sarabia. The boss spoke about Mir in terms of the racist slur accusations, stating “we believe his version.”

If I may make a pitstop on this before talking about the match itself. Situations like these, or Real Madrid’s at Benfica, in my opinion point at the urgent need to stop choosing sides and focus on what happened, how to extend punishment, and what could be done next time to avoid it. 

There is a need for La Liga to stop focusing on whether admitting that a player did something wrong means the club, the fans, or the city are also “in on it” or are equally in the wrong, and instead focus on determining the wrongdoing, and punish it. Believing people’s “versions” without conducting due diligence encourages people to continue to choose sides based on who they know, like, or support most, rather than what actually happened. As an example, the Benfica fan who, when the referee activated the anti-racism protocol, was seen on TV applauding the decision. This is not a decision made with one’s jersey, but rather, with one’s ability to tap into humanity.

Moving on to more sport-related things: Villarreal hosts Elche in a match which could be considered “Trampa” (it’s a trap!);  the away team on his way down, they can’t get their mojo back, and as we mentioned, dealing with issues outside the pitch. On the other side, Villarreal stands as a team proven consistent at home, and very effective against non-Top four opposition. 

In theory, this should be an easy win for the locals. 

These are the kinds of matches that spoil a quiniela, though. Elche is one single points ahead of the relegation and needs to really push for positive results away from home; Villarreal has also proven to be defensively shaky in the past two months since Juan Foyth ruptured his Achilles tendon. The match, early in the afternoon (2PM local time), will potentially catch the home crowd in a bit of a Sunday, post-paella lull. 

For Marcelino’s men it has also been a week worth reviewing: The manager himself had to ask to focus on securing UCL qualification and stop talking about his contract renewal, adding on the way to make that point that not everything one reads on social media is true, and it often makes matters worse.

In regards to players available, Ayoze will very likely not be on the bench this Sunday after picking up a knock against Barcelona, but Gerard Moreno, who trained all week with no problems, will be. The Catalan striker is not expected to start, but will probably feature at some point during the match; and that is all Villarreal fans want to see. Gerard on the pitch means Villarreal is way more likely to win that match, and do so playing well.

Overall, Villarreal will have a great opportunity to put pressure on Simeone’s Atletico for the third place, while Elche will have to take some chances as they desperately look for a league win that has eluded them since the end of 2025. 

Villarreal FC vs Elche FC

Sunday, 9AM EST / 8AM CST 6PM PT (Daylight Saving is this evening)

USA Broadcast: ESPN Plus