Prediction: Sporting Lisbon to win 4-0
Best Odds: 137/20
Sporting Lisbon and Rio Ave will lock horns with each other in Liga Portugal this week. The match between Rúben Amorim’s side and Luís Freire’s team will be held at Estádio José Alvalade and is scheduled to kick off at 8:15 pm UK time on Friday.
Sporting Lisbon
Sporting Lisbon are one of the biggest and most successful clubs in Portugal. Verde e brancos have never been relegated from the Portuguese Primeira Liga and have won the title as many as 20 times.
Under head coach Rúben Amorim, Sporting won the Portuguese Primeira Liga title last season. They finished as many as 10 points ahead of second-placed Benfica and were the dominating force in Portuguese football last season.
Sporting will head into the league game against Rio Ave on the back of a 4-3 defeat at the hands of FC Porto in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira. It came after a 3-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in a pre-season friendly game which followed a 2-1 win against Sevilla in front of their fans in the league.
Team News:
Sporting Lisbon are likely to line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation. Kovacevic will be in goal for the home team and will have Quresma, Debast and Inacio in front of him in defence. Quenda, Hjulmand, Morita and Catamo will be the four midfielders. Gyokeres will lead the line for Sporting and will have Pote and Trincao behind him in attacking midfield.
Rio Ave
Rio Ave are a modest club in Portugal that tend to finish in mid-table in the Portuguese Primeira Liga. Luís Freire’s side ended up 11 in the league table last season and will be more than happy to be in a similar situation in the new campaign.
Luís Freire’s side have been quite busy in the summer transfer window. Among the players they have brought in are Ole Pohlmann, Joao Tome, Joao Novais and Brandon Aguilera, while Costinha, Joca and Lucas Flores have left for good.
Rio Ave will head into the Liga Portugal game against Sporting Lisbon on the back of a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Swansea City away from home in a pre-season friendly game. It came after a 1-1 draw with Nacional in front of their fans which followed a 2-1 loss at the hands of Santa Clara in another pre-season friendly game.
Team News:
Rio Ave will have the likes of Magrao, Patrick William, Helder Sa, Renato Pantalon, Joao Graca, Tiago Morais, Kiko Bendoso and Marios Vrousai in the squad.
Key Factors to Consider
- Sporting Lisbon scored 96 goals in 34 Portuguese Primeira Liga games last season.
- Rio Ave won 6 out of 34 Portuguese Primeira Liga games last campaign.
- Rio Ave scored 38 goals in 34 Portuguese Primeira Liga games last campaign.
- Sporting Lisbon conceded 29 goals in 34 Portuguese Primeira Liga games last season.
- Sporting Lisbon won 29 out of 34 Portuguese Primeira Liga matches last season.
Conclusion
Sporting Lisbon are one of the biggest clubs in Portugal and have one of the strongest teams in Portugal. It is unlikely that they will find it hard to get the better of Rio Ave. Expect a comfortable win for Sporting this week.
Prediction: Sporting Lisbon to win 4-0
Best Odds: 137/20
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