Five threats from the ‘Almería de Cristiano Ronaldo’ for Castellón at SkyFi Castalia | OneFootball

Announced on 26 February, Cristiano Ronaldo’s 25% stake in Almería preceded a surge that has yielded 22 points from the last 27. They visit SkyFi Castalia tomorrow at 20.00, newly in the automatic promotion places and one point off top after beating Real Sociedad B 5-1, a day on from losing at Eibar.

According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, the club operate on a €40 million budget, backed by investor Turki Al-Sheikh, a Saudi minister. Last summer they banked €60 million in sales, including Luis Suárez and Marc Pubill, and reinvested €12 million, a scale far beyond Castellón.

Rubi returned in June 2024 for a second stint. Last season Almería led the division with 72 goals and are set to surpass that, sitting eight short with 10 rounds left and averaging two per game.

Sergio Arribas is widely seen as LaLiga Hypermotion’s standout, with 20 goals and seven assists. The Madrid-born midfielder, not a striker, cost €8 million in 2023 and is supported by Adrián Embarba and Leo Baptistao.

Dutch right-back Chirino, sold by Castellón in a deal that could reach around €2 million, has three goals in 27 games, including the 1-0 winner in the reverse fixture. He has lost his starting spot over the past two months, starting only the 2-0 in Zaragoza, yet recently hit 32.57 km/h, a team best against Sanse.

Rubi is without Portuguese midfielder Gui Guedes. Baptistao returns after his red card in Huesca, and Marcos Luna’s ankle is being monitored after he was replaced at half-time by Chirino in the last game.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo