A thrilling contest kicks off the 2025–26 La Liga season on August 15th when Girona hosts Rayo Vallecano at Estadi Montilivi. The two sides will be looking to start the new season off in fine style, and this promises to be an intriguing start to Spain's top league.

This game has special significance because it marks the return of domestic football following the summer break. After finishing in an unexpected eighth place the previous season, Girona, riding high on their impressive Champions League qualification campaign, will visit a resilient Rayo Vallecano team.

• Fixture: Girona vs Rayo Vallecano – La Liga 2025/26 Season Opener

• Date: Friday, 15th August 2025

• Time: 17:00 UTC

• Venue: Estadi Montilivi, Girona, Spain

• Competition: La Liga (Matchday 1)

Girona's Champions League qualification is a fantastic tale, if one that came at the cost of losing several of their most prominent players to larger clubs this summer. The Catalan club's weakened ranks found themselves struggling with the demands of competing on several fronts, leading to an inconsistent finish to their previous campaign.

• Won just 2 of their last 16 La Liga matches

• Inconsistent pre-season: defeats to SSC Napoli (3-2) and Marseille (0-2)

• Positive victories against Wolverhampton (2-1) and Deportivo Alaves (1-0)

• Goalkeeper: Paulo Gazzaniga

• Defence: Héctor Rincón, David López, Ladislav Krejčí, Daley Blind

• Midfield: Yangel Herrera, Jhon Solís

• Attack: Viktor Tsygankov, Yaser Asprilla, Joan Roca, Cristhian Stuani

• Donny van de Beek (Out)

• Miguel Gutiérrez (Doubtful)

• Gabriel Misehouy (Out)

• Abel Ruíz (Out)

Despite departures, manager Michel has kept the club's support, and the team appears fresh in pre-season, which suggests that they may bounce back strongly.

Rayo Vallecano enters the new season in genuine optimism with their excellent eighth-place finish. With Iñigo Pérez, Spanish football's most progressive and promising young manager, at the controls, Los Franjirrojos are determined to surpass their weight again.

• Strong pre-season with victories against Sunderland (3-0) and PEC Zwolle (5-0)

• Recent away form: 2 win, 1 loss in their last 3 away matches

• Only loss to West Bromwich Albion (3-2) in recent friendlies

• Goalkeeper: Augusto Batalla

• Defence: Iván Balliu, Florian Lejeune, Luis Felipe, Jorge Chavarría

• Midfield: Óscar Valentín, Unai López

• Attack: Jorge de Frutos, Isi Palazón, Pathé Díaz, Álvaro García

Rayo has a fully fit squad with no significant injury concerns, leaving Pérez with excellent selection options for the opening game of the season.

The recent past between the two is squarely in Girona's favour, thus making Thursday's encounter an interesting one.

• Head-to-head record: Girona 3 wins, 1 draw, 1 Rayo win

• Goals scored: Girona (9), Rayo Vallecano (4)

• High-scoring games: 4 out of 5 matches had more than 2.5 goals

• Both teams score: 3 out of 5 matches

Interestingly, Rayo have won only 1 of their previous 8 La Liga clashes against Girona, which indicates the difficulty of the task ahead for them.

Both bosses are fond of 4-2-3-1 attacking line-ups, which will produce a fascinating battle of tactics. Michel's Girona tends to try and hold possessions and create chances from the width of the team, while Pérez's Rayo adopts a more direct approach of counter-attacking.

• Tsygankov v Chavarría: Speed against speed in the dash down the Rayo left.

• Stuani v Lejeune: Experience against experience in the box.

• Herrera v López: Battle for dominance in midfield.

The home form of Girona will be very important. They will try to take advantage of home field advantage when they play at Estadi Montilivi in order to overcome their recent injury issues and poor play.

Even though Girona has a better head-to-head record, a number of factors suggest that the game will be fiercely contested and could have an unexpected outcome.

• Girona 1-2 Rayo Vallecano is the predicted outcome.

• Over 2.5 Goals: Good value because of their goalscoring record

• Both Teams to Score: Yes - both sides have threats on the break

• Correct Score: 1-2 to Rayo Vallecano

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This season opener is brimming with hope, with both teams having respective reasons to favor their prospects. Girona will look to prove that their Champions League campaign hasn't inflicted lasting damage, while Rayo aims to demonstrate that last season's performance was not a flash in the pan.

The match is at 17:00 UTC at Estadi Montilivi, and both sides know that vital points early on will decide the season. An open game with goals coming freely at both ends is on the cards - a great curtain-raiser for what should be another thrilling La Liga campaign.

With Girona's problems with injuries and Rayo's top-class preparation, the visitors are value at 3.60 odds. But football is never predictable, and anything can go wrong when two hungry sides clash in Catalonia.