Real Madrid will have to face 19th-placed Almeria without Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Ballon d'Or winner suffered an injury to the left bicep and it is unclear when he is set to return.
The Almeria game marks the start of three games back-to-back in La Liga for Real Madrid to make up ground on Atletico and Barcelona as they face Osasuna and Valencia after Saturday's game with Almeria.
The loss of Ronaldo may not be so bad for Real, in the last league match at the Santiago Bernabeu the Portuguese international was booed as he was guilty of going for goal himself on too many occasions.
A return to the starting line-up for Alvaro Morata could open up as a result, the Spain under-21 international has been in good form from the bench in recent weeks by scoring two in two in La Liga.
After beating Atletico 2-0 in February, it was expected that Almeria would push on to the comfort of mid-table. However, with only one win since that triumph - It's looking bleak for the Andalusian club.
Almeria will not relish facing Real Madrid, Los Blancos beat them 5-0 in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.