Preview: Boavista vs. Rio Ave - prediction, team news, lineups

Boavista host Rio Ave on Saturday, as they look to build on a crucial win last time out which saw them move out of the bottom three of the Primeira Liga table.

The hosts picked up a win over Belenenses last Sunday to move up to 15th spot, while Rio Ave's winless run was extended to three games as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Gil Vicente.

Match preview

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Boavista picked up a crucial win in their bid to stay up last time out, when they travelled to take on fellow strugglers Belenenses.

Angel Gomes opened the scoring on the stroke of half time, before Alberth Elis doubled their lead and Jesualdo Ferreira's side held on for a 2-0 win, despite Gomes being shown a red card with 30 minutes to go.

That was just a fifth league victory of the season for Boavista, which saw them leapfrog Farense and move out of the bottom three.

However, their work is by no means done, as Ferreira's men sit just two points above Farense, and three points ahead of Nacional in the automatic drop zone.

With three teams sitting two points above Boavista, Ferreira will see an opportunity to move further up the table with a win on Saturday, and put some more crucial distance between themselves and the drop zone.

However, they take on a Rio Ave side who may need a win of their own to calm the nerves and see them move back away from the bottom three.

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After they previously sat comfortably in mid-table for the majority of the season, Miguel Cardoso's side have dropped worryingly close to the relegation places.

Their struggles have largely been down to a poor attacking record, with only Belenenses scoring fewer than the 19 goals that they have netted in 25 league games.

Os Rioavistas suffered a disappointing defeat against Gil Vicente last time out, as Talocha and Samuel Lino netted goals to secure a 2-0 win for the visitors and move them ahead of Rio Ave.

That followed consecutive draws for Cardoso's men, as they shared points in a 1-1 draw with Moreirense and a goalless stalemate with 13th-placed Belenenses.

As a result of that poor run, the Estadio dos Arcos outfit now sit just five points ahead of Farense in the relegation playoff place, and six points above the bottom two.

That means that Cardoso will be desperate for a victory on Saturday which would see the gap between themselves and the bottom three increased, as they look to avoid getting dragged right into the battle at the bottom of the table.

Team News

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Boavista will come into this game without Angel Gomes, who will serve a suspension for the red card shown in the win over Belenenses, which he netted the first goal in.

In his absence, Gustavo Sauer could be moved into a more attacking role, supporting striker Alberth Elis.

They could also be missing experienced midfielder Javi Garcia, as he was absent from the squad for the win over Belenenses.

Chidozie Awaziem returned from suspension last time out, reforming a familiar back three alongside Cristian Devenish and Adil Rami.

Rio Ave will be without Filipe Augusto, who was shown a red card in the defeat to Gil Vicente.

However, they will be boosted by the return of Aderllan Santos, who served a suspension last time out for accumulating five yellow cards.

Their defensive options were recently boosted by the returns of experienced full-backs Ivo Pinto and Fabio Coentrao, with both available to start on Saturday.

Cardoso opted to bring in forward Junior Brandao to the starting side last time out, pushing Gelson Dala out onto the wing after his goal drought.

Boavista possible starting lineup:
Leonardo; Devenish, Rami, Awaziem; Cannon, Paulinho, Perez, Santos, Hamache; Sauer, Elis

Rio Ave possible starting lineup:
Kieszek; Pinto, Borevkovic, Santos, Coentrao; Geraldes, Pele, Tarantini; Mane, Brandao, Dala

We say: Boavista 2-0 Rio Ave

We see the hosts digging deep to pick up another impressive result on Saturday, as they look to move further away from the drop zone.

Given the situations of the two sides, Boavista have far more to play for, and that extra desire could drive them to what would be another crucial win in their bid to avoid the drop.