Santander are expected to line up in their usual 4-4-2, a shape built on solidity and quick transitions. Two banks of four, a strike partnership that can stretch defences, and wide men who tuck in to clog the middle. At home, they'll sit a little deeper than they did against Villarreal, inviting Elche to have the ball — then hitting them on the break with pace. The full-backs will be key: they need to stop Elche's wing-backs from getting crosses into the box, and they'll get forward whenever the chance appears.

Elche, under their new coach, are expected to stick with the 3-5-2 they used against Barcelona. It's a shape that gives them numbers in midfield — a double pivot of Villar and Aguado, with Neto and Valera as the wing-backs. But that system was torn apart by Barcelona's wide forwards, and Santander will have watched that tape. The wing-backs will push high, leaving space in behind for Santander's strikers to exploit. If Elche's centre-backs — Chust, Affengruber, Redondo — are as exposed as they were against Yamal and co., this could get messy. The midfield dogfight will be fierce, but Santander's 4-4-2 is better equipped to win the second balls and launch quick counters.