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Real Madrid are back in action on Saturday after they were schooled by Taty Castellanos’ masterclass in a 4-2 win for Girona in midweek. Carlo Ancelotti’s side host La Liga relegation battlers Almeria at Santiago Bernabeu having not only failed to close the gap on leaders Barcelona but having also allowed Atletico Madrid to reel them in once more to just a two-point gap. There is little to no margin for error now and Los Blancos need to win here to keep Diego Simeone’s men at bay and put a bit of pressure on Barca ahead of Xavi’s men taking on Real Betis.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
Date: Saturday, Apr. 29 Time: 12:30 p.m. ETLocation: Santiago Bernabeu — MadridTV/Live steam: ESPN+Odds: Real -700; Draw: +700; Almeria +1600 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Team news
Real: Ferland Mendy and David Alaba remain out while Thibaut Courtois was ill for Girona but should return here. Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard missed the trip to Catalonia and will be checked ahead of this one while Ancleotti could bring in Eduardo Camavinga, Lucas Vazquez and Aurelien Tchouameni.
Potential Real XI: Courtois; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Camavinga; Valverde, Tchouameni, Ceballos; Asensio, Rodrygo, Vinicius.
Almeria: Diego Fuoli and El Bilal Toure are likely to miss out inured but Rodrigo Ely is back from suspension in defense. Chumi could switch to right back with Alejandro Pozo dropping out of the XI while loanee Luis Suarez should be aided by Adri Embarba and Leo Baptistao up top.
Potential Almeria XI: Martinez; Chumi, Ely, Babic, Centelles; Melero, De la Hoz, Robertone; Baptistao, Suarez, Embarba.
Prediction
Real tend to get the job done at home so expect them to turn up and stick a few goals past Almeria here. However, the visitors shocked Barca earlier this season so do not totally rule out a tighter affair than initially expected. Pick: Real 3, Almeria 1.