Sevilla come into this one 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 like they're finding their rhythm at exactly the right time. The Pizjuán will be rocking for the season opener, and after a grim 13th-place finish last term — just a point above the drop — there's a real hunger to make a statement. The new gaffer, appointed back in March, knows he needs a fast start, and the arrival of Robbie Ure, that 22-year-old who bagged 31 in 50 for Sirius including 15 in 15 at the start of 2026, has given the whole fanbase a jolt of electricity.

Rayo Vallecano, meanwhile, are no pushovers. They finished last season with a thumping 2-0 win over Villarreal, and that kind of result sticks in the memory. But that was back in May, and this is a new campaign. They've got injury worries at the back — Luiz Felipe is out until September with a hamstring tear, and Marash Kumbulla is still working his way back from an adductor problem. Their defence looks like a patchwork quilt right now, and that's a worry when you're walking into the Sánchez-Pizjuán on opening day. Sevilla have won their last three home games against Rayo, and they're unbeaten in the last four meetings overall. History leans one way, and so do we.