Stats and trivia for the Canary Island derby

This Sunday, CD Tenerife and UD Las Palmas will write a new chapter in the history of the Canary Island derbies. It is a clash that, as you would expect, has always been an emotional affair and provides plenty of talking points. Below are some of the most interesting titbits from this historical rivalry.

The Heliodoro Rodríguez López, Tenerife's fortress

In the recent history of the derbies played on the island of the Teide, the Tenerife side come out on top. The Blanquiazules have strung together seven encounters without losing against Las Palmas in the Liga Adelante, with a balance of four wins and three draws in their last matches. Last season, Álvaro Cervera’s side cruised to a 3-0 victory with a brace from Ayoze Pérez and another goal from Ricardo León.

You have to go back to 22 December 2001 to find the Gran Canaria side’s last win as a visitor in the derby, when both teams were in the Liga BBVA (1-3). In the Liga Adelante, the Yellows’ last victory came in the 1999/00 season (1-2).

Veterans of the derby

Ricardo León and David García will be two of the stars of the match, as Tenerife’s midfielder and Las Palmas’ defender are the are the two teams’ most experienced players when it comes to this fixture.

While Ricardo León has played in nine Canary Island derbies, David García has done so on seven occasions.

Other historic players

Luis García Tevenet, the ex-Las Palmas player, has the honour of being the top goal-scorer in the history of the Canary Island derby with three. He is followed by Bruno Marioni (Tenerife), Iriome González (Tenerife), Jorge Contreras (Las Palmas), Juan Francisco Martínez 'Nino' (Tenerife), Juan Luis Jiménez (Las Palmas) and Ayoze Pérez (Tenerife), all of whom have netted twice.

Juan Manuel Rodríguez, Las Palmas’ ex-manager, has experienced more Canary Island derbies from the dugout that any other coach, having been in command for five.

The 'enemy' at home

Of all the trivia on this famous rivalry, there is one that stands above the rest.

Four players born in Gran Canaria have scored against the team from their island, Las Palmas, in a Tenerife shirt: Pablo Sicilia, Alexis Suárez, Noly and Lolín. Likewise, five players from Tenerife have found the net against their home team in a yellow shirt: Jorge Fernández, Luis Felipe Saavedra, Andrés González, Gilberto Rodríguez and Víctor Celso.