Tenerife and Girona will lock horns for the second leg of their Segunda Division playoff final on Sunday night, with the tie delicately poised following a goalless draw in the first leg.
Girona beat Eibar 2-1 in the semi-finals of the playoffs to advance to this stage, while Tenerife navigated their way past Las Palmas, recording a 3-1 aggregate success.
Match preview
Tenerife have been absent from La Liga since the 2009-10 campaign, operating in the Segunda B in both 2011-12 and 2012-13, but they have been in the second tier for the last nine seasons.
Luis Miguel Ramis's side finished fifth in the regular Segunda Division campaign, collecting 69 points from their 42 matches, which saw them end the season one point above seventh-place Real Oviedo.
Las Palmas were their opponents in the semi-finals of the playoffs, and Tenerife recorded a 1-0 victory in the first leg on home soil before running out 2-1 winners away from home to secure a 3-1 aggregate success.
Tete will have been content with a goalless draw against Girona in the first leg, as they now have home advantage, and the hosts will be bidding to join the already-promoted Almeria and Real Valladolid in La Liga.
Tenerife had finished 11th, 16th, 12th and 14th in their previous four Segunda Division campaigns, so their position in the playoffs is a surprise, but they are unbeaten against Girona this season, winning both league fixtures between the two sides in 2021-22.
Girona, meanwhile, finished sixth in the Segunda Division table to secure a spot in the playoffs, claiming 68 points from their 42 matches, just sneaking in ahead of Real Oviedo.
The White and Reds lost 1-0 at home to Eibar in the first leg of their playoff semi-final on June 2 but managed to turn the tie around in the second leg, running out 2-0 winners to secure a 2-1 aggregate success.
Girona last played in La Liga in 2018-19, suffering relegation after finishing 18th in the table, and they have been in the Segunda Division playoffs in the last three seasons.
Michel's side only had the eighth-best away record in La Liga during the 2021-22 campaign, but Tenerife were also inconsistent at home, only boasting the 11th-best record in front of their own supporters.
Girona have won just one of their last six matches against Tenerife, while they have not been victorious away to the Canary islanders since February 2015, which is an indication of the size of their task this weekend.
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Team News
Tenerife will again be without the services of Pablo Larrea due to a knee injury, but the home side are otherwise in strong shape heading into this weekend's contest.
Head coach Ramis is expected to stick with the majority of the side that took to the field for the first whistle of the first leg, but there could be a change in attack, with Elady Zorrilla potentially replacing Mario Gonzalez.
Enric Gallego has scored 12 league goals during the 2021-22 campaign, and the 35-year-old will again feature in the final third, while Alex Bermejo should retain his spot in the side.
As for Girona, Michel's side reported no injuries from the first leg, so the visitors are expected to have a full squad available for the second leg of the playoff final.
A 3-5-2 formation should again see Pol Lozano and Aleix Garcia feature in midfield, with Arnau Martinez and Valery Fernandez in the wing-back positions.
Cristhian Stuani scored 23 league goals during a brilliant 2021-22 campaign, meanwhile, and the 35-year-old will again feature in the final third of the field.
Tenerife possible starting lineup:
Soriano; Moore, Gonzalez, Leon, Mellot; Mollejo, Corredera, Sanz, Bermejo; Zorrilla, Gallego
Girona possible starting lineup:
Carlos; Bueno, Espinosa, Juanpe; Martinez, Martin, Lozano, A Garcia, Valery; Baena, Stuani
We say: Tenerife 1-2 Girona
Both teams will be feeling confident ahead of this match, and we are expecting a close affair in the second leg. It would certainly not be a surprise to see Tenerife triumph, but we just have a feeling that Girona will edge a tight contest to secure a return to Spain's top flight for the 2022-23 campaign.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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