"Operation 30" will take it's next step on Wednesday. The clash between Real Madrid and Almeria scheduled for 2 p.m. ET will be held at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on beIN Sports.
What's At Stake
Barcelona refuses to back down. A 6-0 undressing of Getafe on Tuesday opened the lead in La Liga's table to five points. Now, Real Madrid must respond.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti readily admitted in his pre-match press conference that every match is a matter of life and death.
"All the games are [important]," Ancelotti said (via Inside Spanish Football). "We will approach this match with that mentality. This is going to be an important fixture. A tricky and challenging game. We are entering into a stage of the season in which all our encounters will determine the outcome of the future."
"We are focused on this match and are aware of how difficult the remaining games are," he added. "We are going to try to be at our best. The team are in good shape, playing well and we can play with full intensity for the final stage of the season."
The In-Form Player
Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez is carrying Madrid. The 26-year-old, boasting six goals and two assists, is averaging a league goal every 83 minutes.
Projected Lineups
Real Madrid (4-4-2): Navas; Marcelo, Pepe, Varane, Arbeloa; Isco, Kroos, Illarramendi, Rodriguez; Hernandez, Ronaldo
Almeria (4-2-3-1): Ruben; Dubarbier, Santos, Trujillo, Navarro; Verza, Partey; Espinosa, Corona, Jonathan; Hemed
Updated League Table
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Barcelona | 34 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 97 | 19 | 78 | 84 | |||
| 2 | Real Madrid CF | 33 | 26 | 1 | 6 | 99 | 30 | 69 | 79 | |||
| 3 | Atlético Madrid | 33 | 22 | 6 | 5 | 64 | 26 | 38 | 72 | |||
| 4 | Valencia CF | 33 | 20 | 8 | 5 | 60 | 25 | 35 | 68 | |||
| 5 | Sevilla FC | 33 | 20 | 6 | 7 | 60 | 37 | 23 | 66 | |||
| 6 | Villarreal CF | 33 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 44 | 30 | 14 | 53 | |||
| 7 | Málaga CF | 33 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 36 | 39 | -3 | 47 | |||
| 8 | Athletic Club | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 34 | 38 | -4 | 47 | |||
| 9 | Celta de Vigo | 33 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 39 | 38 | 1 | 42 | |||
| 10 | RCD Espanyol | 33 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 39 | 42 | -3 | 42 | |||
| 11 | Rayo Vallecano | 33 | 13 | 2 | 18 | 38 | 61 | -23 | 41 | |||
| 12 | Real Sociedad | 34 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 37 | 44 | -7 | 40 | |||
| 13 | Getafe CF | 34 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 28 | 52 | -24 | 36 | |||
| 14 | Levante UD | 34 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 32 | 60 | -28 | 35 | |||
| 15 | Elche CF | 33 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 27 | 57 | -30 | 34 | |||
| 16 | Eibar | 33 | 8 | 7 | 18 | 28 | 46 | -18 | 31 | |||
| 17 | UD Almería | 33 | 8 | 7 | 18 | 29 | 52 | -23 | 31 | |||
| 18 | Deportivo La Coruña | 33 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 29 | 52 | -23 | 29 | |||
| 19 | Granada CF | 33 | 4 | 13 | 16 | 21 | 61 | -40 | 25 | |||
| 20 | Córdoba CF | 34 | 3 | 11 | 20 | 21 | 53 | -32 | 20 |
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (lineups and statistics via WhoScored).
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