Real Madrid will be bidding to bounce back from their midweek defeat to Girona when they resume their La Liga campaign at home to Almeria on Saturday night.
Los Blancos remain second in the table, 11 points behind leaders Barcelona on the same number of matches (31), while Almeria sit 15th, three points clear of the relegation zone entering the final straight.
Match preview
© Reuters
Real Madrid saw a four-game winning run in all competitions come to an end on Tuesday evening when they suffered a 4-2 defeat to Girona; Valentin Castellanos scored all four goals for the home side during a stunning performance, with Los Blancos losing for the sixth time in the league this term.
Carlo Ancelotti's side have actually now lost three of their last six La Liga matches, which has meant that they have been unable to cut the gap on Barcelona at the top despite the Catalan side also having a wobble.
Real Madrid still sit second in the table, but they are only two points ahead of third-placed Atletico Madrid and 11 behind Barcelona, with Xavi's side in a commanding position at the top of the division.
It could still be a very successful end to the season for the capital giants, though, and they are fighting for two trophies, with the Copa del Rey final taking place against Osasuna on May 6, before facing Manchester City in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Ancelotti will want to get through the next two league games against Almeria and Real Sociedad without picking up any fresh fitness problems, and Real Madrid will be looking to do the double over Almeria this season, having run out 2-1 winners when the two sides locked horns for the reverse fixture last August.
© Reuters
Almeria gave their survival hopes a huge boost on Wednesday evening by recording a 2-1 victory at Getafe, with Luis Suarez scoring a double for the visitors to Coliseum Alfonso Perez.
Rubi's side are now 15th in the table, three points ahead of 18th-placed Valencia, and it will be fascinating to see how the relegation battle plays out over the next few weeks.
La Union have actually won eight times in front of their own fans in La Liga this season, with their success at Getafe on Wednesday proving to be their first away victory in the league during the 2022-23 campaign.
Almeria secured a return to Spain's top flight by winning last season's Segunda Division, so any position over 18th would be considered a successful campaign.
Rubi's team are up against it this weekend, with Real Madrid looking to bounce back from their loss to Girona, but UDA then have a huge home game against Elche on May 2, and they will need to show some consistency in the closing stages of the season in order to stay clear of the relegation zone.
Team News
© Reuters
Real Madrid will again be without the services of both Ferland Mendy and David Alaba on Saturday, while Luka Modric is facing a battle to be fit for the Copa del Rey final after picking up a hamstring injury.
Thibaut Courtois was not involved against Girona due to illness, but the Belgium international has returned to the squad for this weekend's contest.
Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard were also missing for the team's last match due to minor injuries, and the pair will need to be assessed before a final decision is made on their involvement, but they are in the squad.
Head coach Ancelotti is expected to make changes to his starting XI for this match, with Eduardo Camavinga, Lucas Vazquez and Aurelien Tchouameni potentially coming in for starts, while there will be a return between the sticks for Courtois, having overcome his illness.
Almeria, meanwhile, will again be missing Diego Fuoli and El Bilal Toure on Saturday through injury, but Rodrigo Ely is available after serving a one-game ban against Getafe.
Ely is set to return in the middle of the defence, which is likely to see Chumi move to the right-back spot and Alejandro Pozo drop down to the bench for the clash at Bernabeu.
The visitors could otherwise be unchanged from the side that started the victory at Getafe, with Suarez expected to be joined in the final third of the field by Adri Embarba and Leo Baptistao.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Camavinga; Valverde, Tchouameni, Ceballos; Asensio, Rodrygo, Vinicius
Almeria possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Chumi, Ely, Babic, Centelles; Melero, De la Hoz, Robertone; Baptistao, Suarez, Embarba
We say: Real Madrid 3-1 Almeria
Almeria, despite their victory last time out, have found it difficult on their travels this season, and they will be taking on a Real Madrid side looking to bounce back from a loss. The hosts will again be missing some key players, but we are expecting them to record their 21st league victory of the campaign on Saturday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
