Sevilla come into this opening La Liga fixture with a spring in their step after a 2-1 friendly win over Ceuta. It's pre-season, sure, but momentum is momentum, and Luis García Plaza's side look sharper than a side that scraped 13th last term. The Pizjuán is a fortress when it's rocking, and with a new boss needing an early statement, expect a hungry, aggressive Sevilla from the first whistle. They've got debutants to blood, a new number nine in Robbie Ure, and a point to prove after a miserable 2025-26 campaign that saw them finish just a point above the drop. This is a club in transition, but transitions can spark fires.

Rayo Vallecano, meanwhile, arrive off a thumping 2-0 win over Villarreal in their last competitive outing. That's a serious result, no two ways about it. But that was back in May, and pre-season rhythm is a different beast. They've got injury worries at the back — Luiz Felipe is out until September, Marash Kumbulla is only just returning — and that's a concern against a Sevilla side desperate to make a statement. Rayo are solid, organised, and dangerous on the break, but they're not the kind of team that comes to the Pizjuán and dominates. They'll sit, they'll soak, and they'll hope to nick something. Sevilla, at home, with a new manager and a new striker, should have too much.