The calm rarely follows the storm for UD Las Palmas. After conceding five goals in Andorra, the team now faces a daunting challenge this Saturday against Almería, the third-placed side with direct promotion hopes and the division’s top scorer, Sergio Arribas.
Arribas, a product of Real Madrid’s youth academy, has racked up 24 goals and seven assists in 39 matches this season, making him the primary threat for Dinko Horkas. But he’s not Almería’s only danger: Embarba has 14 goals and Baptistao nine, all aiming to add to their tally.
This clash pits the third-best goalkeeper in Segunda División—Dinko, who has conceded 36 goals, trailing only Cantero (Burgos, 33) and Magunagoitia (Eibar, also 36)—against the league’s second-highest scoring team with 78 goals. It comes at a critical moment for Las Palmas, desperate to recover from last weekend’s drubbing. Once again playing away from home, they face an Almería side hungry for three points to fuel their direct promotion push.
With a market value of €15 million, Arribas is the second-most valuable player in Segunda, behind only Yeremay Hernández (€25 million). He’s eager to find the net again, having not scored since April 26, when he netted a hat-trick against Granada. Arribas is Almería’s most decisive figure, driven to help the team earn promotion and face his former club, Real Madrid, which retained 50% of his rights. The Madrid club knew of his potential; he nearly led Castilla to promotion. Since joining Almería in the 2023/24 season, his trajectory has soared, making this his best campaign yet.
Zamora Trophy contender
Dinko Horkas, Las Palmas’ Croatian goalkeeper, was leading the race for the Zamora Trophy until a few months ago. With three matches left in the season, he now sits third, having conceded 36 goals in 38 of 39 possible games. Accustomed to narrow defeats, his heaviest losses came against Andorra this weekend and a 4-0 defeat to Racing Santander in January, plus a 3-0 loss to Eibar—reinforcing the idea that Las Palmas struggles against promotion-chasing teams from Primera División.
Like Almería relies on Arribas, Dinko is one of Las Palmas’ most used players—second only to Manu Fuster, who has played every minute. The Croatian has missed just one game this season, due to a red card against Mirandés. He sat out the match against Ceuta on December 14 and has since been a permanent fixture in goal, keeping 14 clean sheets.
Dinko joined the club in summer 2024 on a free transfer from Lokomotiv Plovdiv. When Las Palmas were in La Liga, he started as Cillessen’s backup and seized his chance when it came. At the end of March 2025, with Diego Martínez’s side fighting to avoid relegation, Dinko got his golden opportunity after Cillessen suffered a small intestine perforation in a clash with Borja Iglesias. He earned the club’s trust, finished the season, and this year, with the team in Segunda, took on the role of starting goalkeeper. His contract runs until June 2028.
Arribas has 24 goals and seven assists in 39 matches; behind him are Embarba (14) and Baptistao (9). A strong Almería side awaits Las Palmas at a crucial juncture.
