Expect both sides to line up in a 4-2-3-1 — it's the shape that defines this fixture. Sevilla, under García Plaza, will look to control the middle with a double pivot, letting the full-backs bomb on and the wide men cut inside. The big news is up top: summer signing Robbie Ure, the 22-year-old who bagged 31 goals in 50 games for Sirius, including 15 in 15 at the start of 2026, is expected to lead the line. That's a serious upgrade on last season's blunt attack. He's a penalty-box predator, and with the likes of Isi Palazón and Alvaro García on the opposite side for Rayo, this could be a game decided by moments of individual quality.

Rayo will sit in a mid-block, happy to let Sevilla have the ball and hit on the break. Their front four — De Frutos, Palazón, García, and Zurawski — have pace to burn, and they'll target the space behind Sevilla's advanced full-backs. But their defence is a concern: Luiz Felipe is out with a hamstring tear, and Kumbulla is only just back in training. That's a makeshift back line, and Sevilla's set-piece threat — always a weapon at the Pizjuán — could punish them. The midfield battle will be a dogfight: Oscar Valentin and Unai Lopez vs Sevilla's double pivot. Whoever wins that second-ball war dictates the tempo.