Almería will be without Senegalese midfielder Dion Lopy for their crucial “final” match against Las Palmas. The player received his tenth yellow card of the season during the 0-0 draw with Burgos, triggering a second cycle of suspensions. He previously missed a match against Leganés (0-3) for the same reason, along with games against Real Valladolid (3-1) and Málaga (3-2) after being sent off in two consecutive matches against Racing Santander.
The midfielder has accumulated 31 yellow cards over his last 61 appearances across the past two seasons in Spain’s second division, averaging more than one booking every two matches. He has now reached double figures for bookings in consecutive campaigns—19 in 2024/25 and 10 in 2025/26. While he was the most heavily sanctioned player in the division last season, ahead of Loïc Williams (Granada) and Cristian Carracedo (Córdoba), he is not even the most booked player on his own team this term—Álex Muñoz has 12 in 33 games.
Although Lopy has improved his disciplinary record, referees appear to have a particular focus on the player, who recently insisted he is not a “hard or violent” player but believes he has been stereotyped. “I’m clean and never try to harm an opponent, but some rivals dive and exaggerate to get me booked. It’s hard to stay calm in the heat of the moment, but I have to learn from it,” he said.
During the league match at El Plantío, Lopy was booked for an action that referee Salvador Lax Franco initially did not blow for a foul. Seconds later, the official stopped play after being alerted by an assistant, called the foul, and showed the yellow card. The Senegalese midfielder, clearly confused, walked away frustrated, knowing he would miss the next match.
Baba Returns to Boost Almería
The good news for the red-and-whites is the return of Iddrisu Baba to the squad. The Ghanaian pivot trained normally last week but was left out of the traveling party to Burgos. Now recovered from muscle problems, he is a candidate to replace Lopy, who will be the only absentee for the Las Palmas clash.
The team had a recovery session on Sunday and enjoyed a day off on Monday. From Tuesday, they will prepare for a match of the utmost importance against the Canary Island side.
