La Liga Week 30 Schedule, Fixtures, Scores & Stream: Barcelona & Lionel Messi Play Almeria, Cristiano Ronaldo & Real Madrid Take on Rayo Vallecano

By Damon Salvadore First Posted: Apr 08, 2015 10:48 AM EDT

It may not be the weekend yet, but La Liga fans don't have to wait for the weekend get their beloved soccer.

Week 30 of the Spanish Premier League has kicked off already with Atletico Madrid beating Real Sociedad, 2-0. Because of previous schedule conflicts with international friendlies, there were no La Liga games two weeks ago.

To add even more soccer to the schedule, Week 31 of La Liga will in fact be played this upcoming weekend featuring all 20 clubs in action.

In addition to Atletico Madrid winning, both Sevilla and Eibar won in shutout fashion, over Malaga and Levante. Sevilla is now tied with Valencia for fourth place in the standings with 61 points, while Atletico Madrid is in third place with 65 points.

Wednesday will have huge implications on the standings. Both Barcelona and Real Madrid will be taking the field as by far the two best teams in league. Real Madrid got their star midfielder back, James Rodriguez, and they absolutely annihilated Granada in their last game, 9-1. Cristiano Ronaldo stole the show, scoring an amazing five goals. Ronaldo now has 24 La Liga hat tricks, which ties him for the most ever with (you guessed it) Lionel Messi.

Real Madrid has a 22-1-6 record with 67 points, four behind Barcelona. With Rodriguez back in the lineup, Real Madrid is poised to make a run. Unfortunately for Real Madrid, it appears as if they will be without Gareth Bale against Rayo Vallecano.

Barcelona will take on Almeria, and try to extend their winning streak to six games. Barcelona has a 23-2-4 record with 71 points. Real Madrid may have six more goals, but Barcelona has allowed 10 fewer goals thanks to goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. Barcelona defeated Almeria in Week 11, 2-1.

Neymar and Lionel Messi appear to have created the perfect combination offensively, and with Luis Suarez chipping in, Barcelona is the favorite to win it all once again. Messi, Suarez and Neymar have a combined 57 goals this season, and Messi has led the league in assists since day one. A home loss against Almeria would be devastating, and open the door for Real Madrid in the standings. Barcelona should be able to take care of business at home.

Barcelona will take on fourth-place Sevilla on Saturday, while Real Madrid plays 14th-place Eibar.

Atletico Madrid isn't the dominant force they were last season, but they're still hanging around. Atletico Madrid hasn't lost since Week 23, and they sit just two points behind Real Madrid in the standings. It's important to remember that Atletico Madrid swept Real Madrid this season 2-0, thus holding the tie-breaker.