Sporting Lisbon – Rio Ave, the match scheduled for Friday, at 20.30, in the 14th round of the Portuguese championship, has a clear favorite – the host team.
A detached leader after 13 stages, Sporting now has the opportunity to increase its advantage over the pursuers, if it wins this match, because Porto and Benfica play each other in the same evening.
The “Lions” meet a team in decline, which managed only 9 goals in the first 13 stages and suffered 4 defeats in the last 5 official games.
The game is played without spectators due to the coronavirus epidemic.
You can read the bet analysis next to it.
Sporting Lisbon: Team form, news and statistics
Sporting Lisbon (1st place, 35 points, goal difference 30-8) can smell the title again after 19 years – the last time, he won it with Loti Boloni on the bench, in 2002!
The team is in great shape and has, so far, an almost perfect course, without any defeat and only 8 goals conceded in 13 stages.
On Monday, in the Madeira Islands, Sporting suffered the first defeat of the season in domestic competitions, 0-2 with Maritimo Funchal after a few adventures – the weather postponed the match by 24 hours. For the team prepared by Ruben Amorin, a series of invincibility that had become oppressive ends – 16 games in the championship, Cup and League Cup.
However, Amorim saved several starters in the match with Maritimo, and they should return with Rio Ave.
Sporting has an impressive series of victories at home: 7 in a row, of which the last 4 – no goal conceded: 3-0 with Ferreira, 2-0 with Mafra, 1-0 with Farense, 2-0 with Braga.
Rio Ave: Team shape, news and stats
Rio Ave (9th place, 14 points, 9-15 goal difference) is not generally a comfortable team in Portugal, where it often manages to confuse the leading teams and sometimes take the place of European cups.
But this season is going weak. First of all, the once very good attack is now on the ground. Only 9 goals scored in 13 stages led the team to 9th place in the standings. The situation has worsened since December.
The last 5 games have been disastrous: 0-3 at Braga, 1-3 at home with Maritimo, 0-2 at Ferreira, 3-0 at home with Portimonense in the championship, 1-2 at home with Estoril (second league) in the Portuguese Cup.
The pressure is already major on coach Mario Silva, who aims this season to finish 5th and qualify for the Europa League.
The distance is already very large, 8 points from this position.
In Friday’s match, Rio Ave will be without the Brazilian Junio. His compatriot, Augusto, is also uncertain.
⚽️Statistics of direct matches Sporting Lisbon vs Rio Ave
Rio Ave has had a boost with Sporting in the last two years, managing two victories and a draw.
Overall, however, the advantage is major for “lei”.
Last season, Rio Ave won the away match 3-2 and drew at home, 1-1. Between the two games was interspersed a game from the Portuguese Cup, also won by Rio Ave, also away, 2-1.
Two championships ago, things were upside down.
In the round, Sporting won 3-1 away.
In return, he beat 3-0 at home. Between these matches there was a confrontation in the Portuguese Cup won by the Lisbon team with 5-2.
In total, 44 meetings were held.
Sporting has won 27 times, Rio Ave – 7 times.
There were also 10 draws.
Football Prediction of the Day Sporting Lisbon vs Rio Ave
Sporting Lisbon, the championship leader, with no defeats and only 8 goals conceded in 13 games, already has 7 victories in a row at home, of which the last 4 – no goal conceded.
The guests are not a weak team, but lately they have squeaked away, where they suffered 3 defeats to zero.
We will bet on the determination of the “greens”, who feel, after so many years, the opportunity to win the title again. A success of Sporting Lisbon has a odds of 1.51 on Betano betting.
Betting tip: Sporting Lisbon wins
Stake: 8/10
Odds: 1.51
