Round 10 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga comes to a conclusion on Monday when Rio Ave and Portimonense go head to head at the Estadio dos Arcos.
Both teams head into the contest fresh off the back of dropping out of the Taca de Portugal and will be looking to quickly bounce back to winning ways.
Rio Ave saw their Taca de Portugal come to an end last Saturday when they suffered a disappointing 3-2 defeat at the hands of lower-tier Oliveira Hospital in extra-time.
This was a second consecutive defeat for Rio Ave, who fell to a 4-2 loss to high-flying Benfica in their most recent Primeira Liga game on October 8.
Luis Freire’s side have endured a slow start to the league campaign, managing just two wins from their opening nine matches, while they have collected nine points from a possible 27 to sit 14th in the league standings.
Portimonense were also eliminated from the Taca de Portugal last weekend when they suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat at the hands of third-tier outfit Vilaverdense at the Estadio Cruz do Reguengo.
Their cup defeat was keeping with their struggles in the Primeira Liga, where they are currently on a two-game losing run, losing two matches against Vizela and Porto respectively.
The Portimao-based clu have picked up five wins and lost four of their opening nine league matches to collect 15 points and sit in eighth place, level on points with seventh-placed Estoril Praia, but with an inferior goal difference.
While Paulo Sergio’s side will be looking to avoid a fourth successive defeat for the first time since April, Monday’s contest pits them against an opposing side whom they have failed to defeat in their last eight attempts, losing five and securing three draws since a 4-1 victory in January 2018.
Rio Ave vs Portimonense head to head
These two teams have previously met on 21 occasions across all competitions, where Rio Ave have claimed 10 victories while Portimonense have won five, and they have drawn in six. Portimonense have scored 22 goals and conceded 30. In their last five meetings, Rio Ave have won two while drawing three.
Portimonense 1-1 Rio Ave 05/10/19
Portimonense 1-1 Rio Ave 13/12/19
Rio Ave 2-1 Portimonense 09/07/20
Rio Ave 3-0 Portimonense 08/01/21
Portimonense 0-0 Rio Ave 01/05/21
Rio Ave latest home form
Rio Ave have recently kept a mixed run of form at home, having won just three of their seven most recent matches. They managed to defeat Santa Clara 1-0 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored seven goals and conceded five.
Rio Ave 1-0 Academico Viseu 30/07/22
Rio Ave 0-1 Vizela 06/08/22
Rio Ave 3-1 Porto 28/08/22
Rio Ave 2-3 Sporting Braga 11/09/22
Rio Ave 1-0 Santa Clara 02/10/22
Rio Ave latest away form
Rio Ave have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having been winless in their six most recent matches. They lost 3-2 to Oliveira Hospital in their last away game in the Taca de Portugal. In their last five matches, they have scored nine goals and conceded 12.
Estoril 2-2 Rio Ave 19/08/22
Chaves 1-1 Rio Ave 05/09/22
Gil Vicente 2-2 Rio Ave 17/09/22
Benfica 4-2 Rio Ave 08/10/22
Oliveira Hospital (E)3-2 Rio Ave 16/10/22
Portimonense latest home form
Portimonense were beaten 2-0 by Porto in their last home game in the league. However, they have recently been on a relatively good run of form at home, having won each of their previous three games. In their last five matches, they have scored four goals and also conceded four.
Portimonense 0-1 Boavista 07/08/22
Portimonense 2-1 Vitoria Guimaraes 21/08/22
Portimonense 1-0 Famalicao 04/09/22
Portimonense 1-0 Chaves 16/09/22
Portimonense 0-2 Porto 08/10/22
Portimonense latest away form
Portimonense have recently been on a poor run of form on the road, having lost each of their three most recent matches. They lost 2-0 to Vilaverdense in their last away game in the Taca de Portugal. In their last five matches, they have scored four goals and conceded seven.
Pacos Ferreira 0-3 Portimonense 15/08/22
Maritimo 0-1 Portimonense 27/08/22
Sporting Lisbon 4-0 Portimonense 10/09/22
Vizela 1-0 Portimonense 01/10/22
Vilaverdense 2-0 Portimonense 16/10/22
Rio Ave news
Rio Ave head into the contest with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, leaving Freire with the luxury of a full-strength squad at his disposal.
Aziz has been a standout performer for the hosts this season, and the Ghanaian striker will certainly be one to keep an eye out for.
Portimonense news
Portimonense will be without Portuguese midfielder Pedro Sa, who is set to sit out his fifth successive game after coming off injured in September’s game against Famalicao.
He is joined on the injury table by Anderson, who is yet to feature this season after sustaining a muscle injury back in May.
Prediction and Odds
Both teams will be looking to restore some pride following their disappointing exits from the Taca de Portugal last time out.
Rio Ave are slight favourites to come away with the desired results looking at past results between the sides, but we back the visitors to pick up a point here.
Odds: 1 2.22 X 2.02 2 2.68
Probable outcomes
Rio Ave 0-0 Portimonense
Rio Ave 1-1 Portimonense
Rio Ave 2-2 Portimonense
Rio Ave 1-0 Portimonense
Rio Ave 2-1 Portimonense
