Real Madrid vs. Almería 2015 live stream: Start time, TV schedule and how to watch online

Real Madrid are faced with a tough situation, still trailing Barcelona with just a few matches to go. If they lose, they’ll be five points behind in the title race with just four matches to go, likely an insurmountable lead. Even if they win and stay two points back, they’ve got the more difficult schedule, with matches against Sevilla and Valencia still on the docket while Barcelona only have a trip to Atletico Madrid left to give them much concern. If Real Madrid want to win the title, they can’t afford any slipups whatsoever, starting with this match.

Almería are in a similar bind at the other end of the table, just two points clear of the relegation zone above Deportivo La Coruna. They managed a fairy-tale ending to their first season up in La Liga, but if they can’t start winning points, that story looks like it will soon end. They can win against Madrid if they play at their best, and they’ve caught good teams napping before, but it’s going to be a very, very difficult task.

Key player - Javier Hernandez (Real Madrid)

So far, Hernandez has held up well as Madrid’s stopgap forward, scoring four goals in his last four matches while filling in for Karim Benzema. He’ll need to keep up that performance level today, especially with it being very possible that Madrid rotate some of the attacking stars behind him in order to keep them fresh for a more difficult match coming up this weekend. If his performance level drops in this match, Hernandez could unwittingly destroy Madrid’s title chances.

Key Matchup - Tomer Hemed (Almería) vs. Raphael Varane (Real Madrid)

Almeria don’t have the most prolific attack on a good day, and they’ll be without three key attacking players for this match. That means that Hemed will have the full burden of their push to upset Madrid on his shoulders, with the Israeli international looking to exploit any tiredness or loss of focus on Madrid’s back line. Varane should be more than up to the task, but even the French international’s significant gifts aren’t at their best for all of every match. Hemed is a very opportunistic player, so if Varane slips at all, you can bet he’ll be there to punish the mistake.

Out: Sergio Ramos (suspended), Dani Carvajal (suspended), Luka Modric (knee), Karim Benzema (knee), Gareth Bale (calf) In doubt: none

Out: Wellington Silva (suspended), Theivy Bifourma (suspended), Fernando Soriano (muscle strain), Michel (hamstring), Fran Velez (knee) In doubt: none

Madrid are without five regular starters thanks to the suspensions of Ramos and Carvajal, plus the various injuries to Modric, Benzema, and Bale, but their depth is really rather unfair and they can get by in the short term without them. Almeria will have a much harder time dealing with their losses, with their attack in particular left sorely thinned out by suspensions and injury.

Match Date/Time: Wednesday, 2:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. local

Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain

TV: beIN Sports (U.S. & Canada - English), beIN Sports Español (U.S. - Spanish), Canal + Liga/HD (Spain), Sky Sports 5/HD (U.K.)

Online: beIN Sports Connect (U.S. & Canada), Sky Go (U.K.)

Listings via LiveSoccerTV.