Rubi's Almeria defeated leaders Barcelona 1-0 on Sunday night, their seventh home win since securing promotion last year.
There are many stadiums in Spain where achieving an away victory is an almighty task, and UD Almería's Power Horse Stadium is certainly one of them. FC Barcelona learned this on Sunday evening, as the LaLiga Santander leaders were defeated 1-0 on Spain's south coast, with El Bilal Touré scoring the only goal of the game to give the passionate home support plenty to cheer about.
When the UD Almería supporters passed through the turnstiles on Sunday, they'd have done so feeling confident. Even though the match started with the Andalusian club inside the relegation zone and with Barça top of the table, the UD Almería faithful know that they can compete against anyone at home.
After seven seasons away, Los Rojiblancos made it back to LaLiga Santander last year by winning LaLiga SmartBank and they have made their home ground a fortress upon their return. After 23 matchdays, UD Almería have collected the third-most home points this campaign, with 22 points earned in front of their fans courtesy of seven wins, one draw and just four defeats. Only FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have more home points than the newly promoted side at this stage.
Rubi's squad have claimed some impressive scalps during this run, with highlights including the 2-1 win over regional neighbours Sevilla FC and then the conquering of FC Barcelona on Sunday night. Atlético de Madrid also struggled there and were lucky to return to the capital with a 1-1 draw, while it took a late comeback for Real Madrid to earn a 2-1 win at the Power Horse Stadium on the opening weekend of the season.
The contrast with the team's away form is stark, as UD Almería have picked up just three points on the road and no away wins yet. By earning 1.83 points per game at home and 0.27 points per game away, the difference is 1.56, by far the largest in the division. There is no other club averaging more than a full point per game more at home compared to on the road.
Of course, UD Almería would like their away form to be better, but coach Rubi explained that he is proud to be earning the majority of the team's points in front of the local supporters. "If I had to choose, I'd prefer to be strong at home and inconsistent away because it means our fans get to experience the happiness," he said after Sunday's win over Barça.
The home fans were certainly euphoric when the full-time whistle sounded, as they celebrated what was their first ever victory over FC Barcelona at the 16th attempt. Given the way Rubi's team are playing at home this season, with the finishing of El Bilal Touré, the saves of Fernando Martínez, the defensive prowess of Rodrigo Ely, the trickery of Largie Ramazani and the leadership of captain César de la Hoz, it's no surprise that this maiden win over the Catalans has come now.
UD Almería are achieving these impressive results after having carried out a lot of work on the stadium in recent years. Club president Turki Al-Sheikh announced a redevelopment project in 2019, with improvements to be made in areas such as the video scoreboards, dressing rooms, medical rooms, club offices and stadium exterior. The club have also worked on plans to provide even more entertainment in the space around the ground, which this year has changed its name from the Mediterranean Games Stadium to become the Power Horse Stadium, named after the energy drink sponsor.
The fans have made the ground feel more like home than ever before and this is being seen in the attendance numbers. A season-high 15,279 fans filled the 16,500-capacity venue for the victory over FC Barcelona on Sunday, but the numbers have been high all year long, with 14,288 present at the previous home game too. As Los Rojiblancos keep winning at home, those numbers should only go up. Going to see Rubi's UD Almería play has become the hottest ticket in town.
