Sevilla roll into this one off the back of a scrappy 2-1 friendly win over Ceuta and a dramatic 2-1 opening-day victory against Rayo Vallecano. That Rayo result was pure late drama — a penalty won off the bench, a stadium roaring, three points pinched when it mattered. But look closer and the cracks are there. Sevilla were second-best for long stretches against Rayo, and their recent away form in La Liga has been grim: losses at Celta, Osasuna, Levante, and Real Oviedo. At the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán they are a different animal, but this is a step up in class.

Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, are simmering. Simeone's men kicked off the season with a home fixture against Málaga at the Metropolitano, and the machine is already grinding. Julián Álvarez and Ademola Lookman are the front two — a pairing that should terrify any defence in Spain. The snippets tell us Simeone's early return from World Cup duty has sharpened the squad, and there's real momentum in that camp. They are the sharper, more settled side here, and the price reflects it.