Preview: Tenerife vs. Villarreal - prediction, team news, lineups

La Liga heavyweights Villarreal will escape the mainland's spell of cold weather this weekend when they fly out to the Canary Islands for their Copa del Rey matchup against Segunda Division side Tenerife.

However, Villarreal boss Unai Emery would do well to be cautious of the home side's ice-cold form in the cup so far this season, with the Canary Islanders winning both their fixtures pretty easily.

Match preview

© Reuters

After a somewhat languid start to his Villarreal tenure, Emery's side have started to look impressive in La Liga, as they look to secure Champions League qualification.

The Yellow Submarine are currently fourth in the table and have only been beaten once in their last six league outings.

Emery's team has also been ruthless in the cup so far this season. In just two games, Villarreal have scored ten and conceded just one goal.

Against Zamora in the second round, Emery's men bested the home side 4-1 in a result that even saw Carlos Bacca get on the scoresheet.

© Reuters

In comparison, Luis Miguel Ramis 's Tenerife have been struggling so far in the Segunda Division this season but recent signs suggest his side are turning the corner.

Los Chicharreros are currently on a five-game winning streak in all competitions, with their last loss coming against Oviedo in mid-December.

Against Castellon in the second round of the Copa del Rey, Tenerife put in a dominant performance and won the tie 2-0, making it their second win against Castellon in just four days.

Of course, the team's level of improvement is a credit to Ramis's style of management, but Tenerife will still undoubtedly struggle against Villarreal this weekend.

Tenerife Copa del Rey form: WW

Tenerife form (all competitions): LWWWWW

Villarreal Copa del Rey form: WW

Villarreal form (all competitions): WDLWWW

Team News

© Reuters

Taking recent acquisitions into account, such as the arrival of Watford midfielder Etienne Capoue, Villarreal have a healthy level of squad depth and Emery can rest players on Sunday without worrying that his starting XI will not perform to their usual standard.

For this tie, Mario Gaspar, Vicente Iborra and Alberto Moreno will all be unavailable due to injury.

Similarly, Ramis has no fresh injury concerns to contend with and can select a fit squad ahead of this tie. However, the man from Tarragona may well choose to rest players.

Borja Lasso remains out as he recovers from a broken leg.

Tenerife possible starting lineup:

Ortola; Kakabadze, Carlos Ruiz, Alberto, Pomares; Vada, Zarfino, Alonso; Nono, Joselu, Santana

Villarreal possible starting lineup:

Rulli; Chakla, Foyth, Funes, Estupinan; Chukwueze, Costa, Baena, Capoue, Pino; Bacca

We say: Tenerife 0-4 Villarreal

Tenerife have looked good in recent weeks but we do not think they will be able to match Villarreal's firepower in front of goal. The Yellow Submarine are beginning to look really solid under Emery and there is no doubt that they will reach the latter stages of this competition.

Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.