Preview: Boavista vs. Rio Ave

Two sides level on points in the bottom half of the Primeira Liga standings go head to head on Saturday as Boavista play host to Rio Ave at the Estadio do Bessa.

Having failed to win both home and away meetings between the sides last season, Os Axadrezados will head into the weekend looking to get one over the visitors and secure consecutive victories for the first time since September 2023.

Match preview

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Boavista pulled clear of the bottom three in the Primeira Liga standings last Sunday when they held on to see out a 2-1 victory against Gil Vicente at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos.  

Following a goalless first half, Ilija Vukotic and Joel Silva scored in a three-minute spell to put the visitors two goals up before Brazilian striker Caue pulled one back for Boavista with a 77th-minute strike.

This was a much-needed result for Cristiano Bacci‘s men, who had failed to win their previous nine outings across all competitions, claiming three draws and losing six, including a 1-0 loss against Segunda Liga outfit Varzim in the Taca de Portugal third round on October 20.

Boavista have won just two of their 10 games to start the league campaign while losing five and claiming three draws to collect nine points and sit 11th in the table, level on points with Estoril Praia, AVS and Saturday’s visitors.

While Os Axadrezados will look to continue from where they left off against Gil Vicente, recent results at home offer little optimism as they have failed to win their last eight league matches at the Estadio do Bessa, losing three and claiming five draws since March’s 1-0 victory over Moreirense.

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Rio Ave, on the other hand, turned in a resilient team performance last Saturday when they fought back from behind twice to salvage a 2-2 draw against Casa Pia at the Estadio dos Arcos.

Nuno Moreira and Cassiano found the back of the net to hand Casa Pia the lead twice but the hosts hit back through Clayton and Martim Neto to end the half half level before both sides canceled out each other’s efforts after the break.

Head coach Petit will hope the point against Casa Pia can kickstart an upturn in form as Rio Ave have now failed to win six straight games in the league, claiming three draws and losing three since beating Arouca 1-0 on September 1 thanks to a 43rd-minute penalty from Clayton.

However, the Vilacondenses head into the weekend without a Primeira Liga away win this year, claiming eight draws and losing eight, including five defeats in their five outings this season.

Rio Ave will be backing themselves to end this poor run on Saturday as they take on an opposing side against whom they are unbeaten in 17 of the last 20 encounters between the teams, claiming 13 wins and four draws since September 2014.

Boavista Primeira Liga form:

Boavista form (all competitions):

Rio Ave Primeira Liga form:

Rio Ave form (all competitions):

Team News

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Boavista will be without 21-year-old defender Pedro Gomes, who is suspended after crossing the yellow card threshold with his booking against Gil Vicente last time out.

On the injury front, Os Axadrezados will take to the pitch without the goalkeeping duo of Morales Pires and 24-year-olf Joao Goncalves, who have been ruled out through knee problems.

Portuguese forward Manuel Namora has been sidelined coming off injured in August’s friendly clash against Segunda Liga outfit Panafiel and the 26-year-old is also out of contention for the home side.

As for Rio Ave, English defender Jonathan Panzo missed the game against Casa Pia last time out through a knee injury and the former Cardiff City man will play no part in Saturday’s clash.  

Clayton was involved in both goals against Casa Pia last Saturday and the Vasco da Gama loanee, who has five goal contributions in 10 league appearances this term, should lead the Vilacondenses attack once again.

Boavista possible starting lineup:
Cesar; Miguel, Abascal, Ferreira, Onyemaechi; Silva, Vukotic, Perez, Reisinho, Agra; Bozenik

We say: Boavista 2-0 Rio Ave

Boavista and Rio Ave head into this one level on points in the bottom half of the table and we anticipate an exciting affair at the Estadio do Bessa as both sides look to get the better of each other.

While Os Axadrezados have struggled to get going on home turf, we predict they will build on last weekend’s victory over Gil Vicente and see off a Rio Ave side, who having lost all five league games on the road this season.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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