Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Boavistavs.Rio Ave

sportsmole.co.uk, 7 November 2024, 22:45
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

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.

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:

D

L

L

D

L

W

Boavista form (all competitions):

L

L

D

L

L

W

Rio Ave Primeira Liga form:

L

D

L

D

L

D

Rio Ave form (all competitions):

D

L

D

W

L

D

Team News

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

Rio Ave possible starting lineup:

Miszta; Vrousai, William, Santos, Richards; Tiknaz, Neto, Bondoso; Ronaldo, Clayton, Morais

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.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England moved to the top of their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League group on Thursday evening courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Didier Deschamps was left frustrated on Thursday as his France side failed to capitalise on their dominance against Israel, being held to a 0-0 draw, though they still progressed to the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals after Italy beat Belgium in the other League A Group 2 fixture. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England have risen to the top of Group 2 of League B in the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece in Athens on Thursday night. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sandro Tonali's first international goal was enough to send Italy through to the finals of the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 1-0 win away in Belgium this evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea Women and Manchester City Women will go head-to-head in Saturday's top-of-the-table clash at Stamford Bridge. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has asked Manchester City to sign two defenders in 2025, according to a report. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Nassr centre-back Aymeric Laporte has said that he is open to making the move to Real Madrid. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has said that his club are not planning to be active during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Moldova can boost their hopes of securing promotion from League D Group 2 in the UEFA Nations League when they face fellow European minnows Andorra at Estadi Nacional on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Montenegro welcome Iceland to Stadion Kraj Bistrice in Niksic for their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal Women and Tottenham Hotspur Women will be looking to secure derby bragging rights when they face off in Saturday's Women's Super League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nacho has ruled out the possibility of returning to Real Madrid amid suggestions that Los Blancos were considering making an attempt to re-sign him during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams with contrasting objectives in the National League are set to meet at the Gateshead International Stadium on Saturday, as promotion hopefuls Gateshead host relegation-threatened Aldershot Town. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim will reportedly take Manchester United training for the first time on Monday, with the club confident that his visa will have arrived in time for him to officially get on the grass next week. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has said that a back issue forced Lisandro Martinez to pull out of the squad for the national team's upcoming 2026 World Cup qualification matches with Paraguay and Peru. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has reportedly set his sights on an exit from the club next summer, and plans to take key man Alex Grimaldo with him. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United Women will attempt to claim back-to-back victories when they travel to the Broadfield Stadium for Saturday's Women's Super League meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion Women. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea.