La Liga Fixtures 2017 Week 25: Schedule, Live-Stream Info, Picks and Key Players
Real Madrid needed a brilliant late turnaround against Villarreal on Sunday to return to the top of La Liga and will look to maintain their advantage over second-placed Barcelona by beating Las Palmas on Wednesday.
The Blaugrana play earlier in the day against Sporting Gijon at the Camp Nou and will aim to put the pressure on Los Blancos by winning a fifth league game on the bounce.
Following Sunday's defeat to Barca, Atletico Madrid are now seven points behind third-placed Sevilla and need a return to winning ways against Deportivo La Coruna to avoid potentially slipping out of the UEFA Champions League spots.
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Read on for a look at who could be the key players from Spain's midweek action, along with full predictions and viewing information.
| Feb. 28 | 6:30 p.m./1:30 p.m. | Real Sociedad vs. Eibar | Real Sociedad | Sky Go, beIN Sports Connect |
| Feb. 28 | 8:30 p.m./3:30 p.m. | Malaga vs. Real Betis | Draw | Sky Go, beIN Sports Connect |
| Feb. 28 | 8:30 p.m./3:30 p.m. | Valencia vs. Leganes | Valencia | Sky Go, beIN Sports Connect |
| March 1 | 6:30 p.m./1:30 p.m. | Barcelona vs. Sporting Gijon | Barcelona | Sky Go, beIN Sports Connect |
| March 1 | 6:30 p.m./1:30 p.m. | Osasuna vs. Villarreal | Villarreal | Sky Go |
| March 1 | 8:30 p.m./3:30 p.m. | Celta Vigo vs. Espanyol | Draw | Sky Go |
| March 1 | 8:30 p.m./3:30 p.m. | Granada vs. Alaves | Alaves | Sky Go |
| March 1 | 8:30 p.m./3:30 p.m. | Real Madrid vs. Las Palmas | Real | Sky Go, beIN Sports Connect |
| March 2 | 7:45 p.m./2:45 p.m. | Deportivo La Coruna vs. Atletico Madrid | Atletico | Sky Go, beIN Sports Connect |
| March 2 | 8:30 p.m./3:30 p.m. | Sevilla vs. Athletic Bilbao | Sevilla | Sky Go, beIN Sports Connect |
Viewers in the United States can stream live matches via beIN Sports Connect, while audiences in the United Kingdom can use the Sky Go app to watch the action.
Gareth Bale, Real Madrid
Real winger Gareth Bale only made his return from a long-term injury earlier this month, but he has wasted little time in proving just how important he is to Los Blancos.
The Welshman has netted twice in Real's last three matches and was the key man as they fought back from 2-0 down to beat Villarreal, per Squawka:
Zinedine Zidane's side still have a one-point advantage over Barca in the standings and a game in hand, but they must keep winning if they are to dash the Catalan giants' hopes of overcoming them.
Bale's continued excellence will be vital to that cause, and he will likely be relishing the chance to get on the scoresheet again against Las Palmas at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Luis Suarez, Barcelona
Lionel Messi has been carrying Barca for much of the 2016-17 campaign, and it is in no small part due to the superlative Argentinian that Luis Enrique's side are still in the title race.
He netted late winners in both of Barca's last two victories, edgy 2-1 wins against Atleti and Leganes.
Messi has previously worked in tandem with Neymar and Luis Suarez to create one of the most devastating attacking forces of all time, but his fellow forwards have been out of form of late—particularly the Brazilian.
A home clash against struggling Gijon is the perfect opportunity for Uruguay international Suarez to end a run of three games without a goal—a lifetime given his usual scoring rate—and prove to Messi he will not have to continue carrying the Blaugrana on his own.
Antoine Griezmann, Atletico Madrid
Antoine Griezmann is Atleti's natural talisman and Diego Simeone's side will need him to be on top form at Depor on Thursday if the Madrid outfit are to get their season back on track.
Their defeat to Barca was the final nail in the coffin of their title hopes this season, and Atleti did not play well in the encounter, per Spanish football writer Dermot Corrigan:
Atletico need to bounce back and claim three points against Deportivo, and Griezmann's movement and finishing will be essential to unlocking a defence that has conceded only 11 La Liga goals at home in 2016-17—a tally bettered by only Real and Barca.
Failure to beat Depor will put Atleti in serious danger of not qualifying for the Champions League next term, but a convincing win could be just the tonic they need after a demoralising defeat.
