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Rio Ave
Primeira Liga | Gameweek 22
Mar 7, 2021 at 8pm UK
Estadio do Rio Ave
Farense logo
Rio Ave
2 - 0
Farense
Pele (27' pen.), Camacho (70')
Geraldes (22'), Jeronimo (82')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Miguel Barreto Henriques Marques (25'), Braima Nogueira (84')

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

Sports Mole previews Sunday's Primeira Liga clash between Rio Ave and SC Farense, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

An important game takes place at the bottom of the Primeira Liga table on Sunday, as 11th-placed Rio Ave host SC Farense, who sit 14th.

After two consecutive losses, the home side now sit just three points above the bottom three, while Farense have recently dragged themselves out of the relegation zone thanks to an upturn in form.


Match preview

Miguel Cardoso, now in charge of Rio Ave, pictured in 2018© Reuters

Rio Ave come into this game having lost their last two Primeira Liga matches, which has seen them drop into the battle for survival.

Last time out, Miguel Cardoso's side fell to a 2-0 defeat away at Benfica, as goals from Haris Seferovic and Pizzi sealed all three points for the 39-time champions.

That followed a disappointing 1-0 defeat at home to 16th-placed Famalicao, as Manuel Ugarte scored the only goal of the game after Nelson Monte was sent off for Rio Ave.

As a result, Os Rioavistas now sit just three points ahead of Famalicao in the relegation playoff place, and four points above the automatic relegation zone.

That is a notable regression on last season, when they finished in fifth spot with an impressive tally of 55 points from 34 matches.

This season's struggles have largely been down to their weak attacking record, with only one side in the top flight netting fewer than the 16 goals they have scored this campaign.

However, their situation would undoubtedly change with a victory on Sunday, and Cardoso will be hoping for a reaction from his players in order to move away from the bottom three and claw themselves back up the table.

That could be a real challenge though, as they host a Farense side with some renewed confidence, coming into this game without a loss in their last four league outings.

Rio Ave's Ivo Pinto with teammates after the match on January 15, 2021© Reuters

The Farense hierarchy dismissed former manager Sergio Vieira at the beginning of February with the side at the foot of the table, replacing him with Jorge Costa.

Costa has taken charge of six games so far since his appointment, losing just one of those and picking up a commendable tally of seven points.

That has seen them move off the foot of the table and up to 14th place, although Os Leoes de Faro do still sit just one point above the automatic drop zone, meaning they still have a long way to go in their survival bid.

Last time out, Costa's men secured a third consecutive draw, as they travelled to Famalicao with neither side able to break the deadlock.

Before that, Farense secured an impressive point when they held Benfica to a goalless draw at the Estadio de Sao Luis.

Costa will be hopeful of another positive result in this game, which could see them move further away from the bottom three as they look to avoid relegation immediately back to the second tier after winning promotion last campaign.

Rio Ave Primeira Liga form:
  • L
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • L

SC Farense Primeira Liga form:
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • D
  • D
  • D


Team News

Rio Ave players Gelson and Carlos Mane celebrate after scoring against AC Milan in the Europa League in October 2020© Reuters

Rio Ave will be without forward Andre Pereira, who remains out with a ligament rupture.

He is joined on the sidelines by midfielder Nikola Jambor, who is yet to feature since the turn of the year due to injury issues.

However, they will be boosted by the return of Nelson Monte, who served a suspension last time out for the red card shown against Famalicao.

Gelson Dala is expected to lead the line again here, although the Angolan forward has struggled in front of goal this season, netting just two goals in 19 appearances.

Farense will be without centre-back Andre Pinto, after he was shown a red card in the goalless draw with Famalicao.

They also face another huge loss, as key midfielder Ryan Gauld picked up his fifth yellow card of the season last time out, having recorded seven goals and four assists in league action this season.

In his absence, Nikola Stojiljkovic could come into the side to join Pedro Henrique in attack.

Rio Ave possible starting lineup:
Kieszek; Monte, Borevkovic, Santos, Savio; Augusto, Pele, Geraldes; Mane, Dala, Camacho

SC Farense possible starting lineup:
Defendi; Tavares, Mancha, Scheid, Nunes; Oudrhiri, Lucca; Lica, Mansilla; Stojiljkovic, Henrique


SM words green background

We say: Rio Ave 1-0 SC Farense

While recent form points to a Farense victory in this game, the loss of their talisman Gauld could have a huge negative impact on Os Leoes de Faro.

That combined with the loss of a key centre-back should tip the game in the favour of the hosts, as they look to secure an important victory to move back up the league table.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data


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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Rio Ave win with a probability of 40.53%. A win for SC Farense had a probability of 30.48% and a draw had a probability of 29%.

The most likely scoreline for a Rio Ave win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.34%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (7.98%) and 2-1 (7.96%). The likeliest SC Farense win was 0-1 (11.11%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.3%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Rio Ave would win this match.


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Benfica coach Jorge Jesus in the Europa League on February 18, 2021
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Sunday's Primeira Liga predictions including SC Farense vs. Benfica
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Benfica97111981122
2Sporting Lisbon87101771022
3Vitoria de GuimaraesGuimaraes96121710719
4Porto8611116519
5Braga95222317617
6BoavistaBoavista84311813515
7MoreirenseMoreirense94231210214
8FamalicaoFamalicao833288012
9PortimonensePortimonense93241018-811
10Gil Vicente93152118310
11Casa Pia924388010
12Estrela Amadora8224812-48
13SC FarenseFarense8215111107
14ChavesChaves92161226-147
15Vizela81341014-46
16AroucaArouca9135914-56
17Rio AveRio Ave8125614-85
18Estoril PraiaEstoril91171420-64

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