13 August 2021, 22:13 | 28 August 2021, 15:29
Spanish La Liga fixture, Sevilla F.C. vs. Rayo Vallecano kicks off at 21:15 (GMT+1) on Sunday, August 15 at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium.
Preview Sevilla La Liga, Aug 15, 2021
Preview F. C. Sevilla will return to La Liga action behind the pre-season club friendly match against the Italian side, Roma which ended in a goalless draw. The match saw Sevilla's Nemanja Gudelj sent off in the 66th minute. An impressive run of form in the domestic league saw Sevilla make the 4th place finish with coach Julen Lopetegui last season. This time around, Los Nervionenses will be aiming to finish inside the top three. However, a fine start to the season could see them emerge as title contenders. In preparation for the task ahead, Sevilla acquired the services of right-back, Gonzalo Montiel for €11M while Erik Lamela joined the squad on a free transfer from Tottenham Hotspur. Shot stopper, Marko Dmitrovic also found his way to the club on a similar arrangement from SD Eibar. Sevilla cashed in on Bryan Gil who made the move to Spurs for a fee of €25M. Known to prefer the attacking 4--3--3 formation, Julen Lopetegui could line up with the same shape, having the attacking trio consisting of En-Nesyri, Suso and Ocampos leading the front line. On availability, he would have a fully fit squad to make his selection from, except for central midfielder Oliver Torres who remains doubtful for the opening day appearance.
Preview Rayo Vallecano La Liga, Aug 15, 2021
Preview Newly promoted side, Rayo Vallecano return to Spanish top-flight football behind a 1-1 draw against Leganes in a pre-season club-friendly which saw the latter emerge as winners after a penalty shootout. After finishing 6th in the lower division and gaining promotion via play-offs, the Red Sashes would be looking to remain in La Liga at the end of this season. Limited, - budget-wise, the Rayo Vallecano acquired several players on loan while they could only afford to splash €2M for left-back, Frank Garcia and another €1.3M on attacking midfielder, Randy Nteka. Left-back, Kevin Rodrigues joined on a loan transfer from Real Sociedad while Ivan Balliu came in on a similar arrangement. Head coach, Andoni Iraola would be looking to see his side pick up an important point on the road when they come calling at Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán in their first appearance of the new season. Andoni Iraola could line up in an attacking 3--4--3 formation which could see centre-forward, Andres Martin as the focal point of his attack. The 39-year-old coach has a fully fit squad ahead of the opening day knowing an unprecedented victory over Sevilla would be a fine start to the season for Vallecano.