Real Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao 2017 live stream: Game time, TV channel, and how to watch La Liga online

Real Madrid have dropped points twice in their last five league matches, but Zinedine Zidane’s side have the edge at the top of the table. They head into the weekend two points and a game in hand clear of second-placed Barcelona, and will be looking to make their cushion a little more comfortable.

However, that won’t be easy away at a talented Athletic Bilbao side. They’ve impressed sufficiently that their coach, Ernesto Valverde, is currently being linked with the job at Barça, though all of his focus will surely be on trying to get his side in Europe again next season. They currently sit seventh in the table, just a place outside of the Europa League spots, and a place below Basque rivals Real Sociedad.

Date and time: Saturday, March 18; 10:15 a.m. ET, 4:15 p.m. local

TV: beIN Sports (U.S. and Canada - English); beIN Sports en Español (U.S. and Canada - Spanish)

Online streaming: beIN Sports Connect (U.S. and Canada)

Make friends: Real Madrid fans can head on over to Managing Madrid for full game coverage.

For online listings in other countries, you can check out LiveSoccerTV

1. Athletic Bilbao will be without the injured Sabin Merino, while defender Mikel San José will be forced to skip this one through suspension. They should otherwise have a full-strength team available.

2. Real Madrid have no certain absentees, with Gareth Bale back available after suspension. Expect him to start on the right of Madrid’s strongest attacking trio, also comprising Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. Center backs Raphaël Varane and Pepe both face late fitness tests, meaning Nacho could keep his place alongside Sergio Ramos in defense.

3. Madrid have won on only one of their last three visits to the San Mamés. It’s a notoriously tough place to go: Athletic have lost only once there in the league all season, with only Madrid themselves having a better home record.