Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Portimonensevs.Rio Ave

sportsmole.co.uk, 9 May 2024, 20:48
Portimonense will be hoping to move out of the bottom three of the Primeira Liga standings this weekend when they take on Rio Ave at Estadio Municipal de Portimao on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts will enter the penultimate gameweek of the season in the relegation playoff spot with 28 points, while the visitors are in 10th place with 35 points earned over the same period.

Match preview

The 2023-24 campaign has been another challenging one for Portimonense, and their top-flight survival has now come down to the last two games of the season, with this being their final home match before facing Farense in the final curtain of the campaign next weekend.

As it stands, Alvinegros are five points above the automatic drop and slipped three points from safety last week when they were taken apart in a 3-0 loss to champions-elect Sporting Lisbon at Jose Alvalade Stadium.

Goals from Paulinho, Francisco Trincao and Viktor Gyokeres secured the points for the Lions, who went on to clinch the title after Benfica suffered a shock defeat against Famalicao. Portimonense, meanwhile, lost ground to safety, with Estrela and Boavista both managing a point each in their games.

With this being their final home game of the season and having only won four of 16 away games this term, this match is an absolute must-win for Paulo Sergio's side. Unfortunately, their record of late suggests that this will be anything but a straightforward three points, having failed to win any of their last eight home games, losing six and drawing two.

When these sides met earlier in the season, Portimonense suffered a 2-0 loss, which extended their current winless run against this opponent to nine consecutive league games, including three draws and six defeats.

That January victory for Rio Ave over Portimonense ended a six-match winless run in the league and moved them out of the relegation zone. Since then, they have not looked back, losing only twice in their next 15 matches while steadily closing in on the top half.

Last week, Vilacondenses put on an excellent performance to beat European qualification contenders Vitoria Guimaraes 2-1, marking their tenth consecutive league match without defeat, dating back to mid-February.

Against Vitoria, Joca opened the scoring in the first half before Ghanaian international Emmanuel Boateng doubled the advantage after the break. Vitoria grabbed a consolation through Nuno Valente late in the game but could not find an equaliser.

That result also secured Rio Ave's top-flight status for next season, as they are now seven points clear of the bottom three with just two games left to play and just two points away from breaking into the top half of the table.

While Luis Freire's side have failed to win a single away game this season, they have been very difficult to beat, with many referring to the side as the 'stalemate specialists', having drawn each of their last five league matches on the road and seven in their last eight.

Portimonense Primeira Liga form:

L

W

D

D

L

L

Rio Ave Primeira Liga form:

D

W

D

D

D

W

Team News

Portimonense are still without the services of Zinho due to an injury sustained back in February, which should see Hildeberto Pereira, Luan Campos and Helio Varela continue in the three-man frontline.

Filipe Relvas, Alemao and Pedro Henrique are expected to line up in defence, with Moustapha Seck operating in a wing-back role down the left flank. Carlinhos should provide the defensive cover as the deepest-lying midfielder.

Josue Sa has now missed the last five matches for Rio Ave due to a knock he sustained against Boavista back in March, and he seems set to see out the remainder of the campaign from the sidelines.

Joca has netted three of his four goals this season in the last five matches and should continue to lead the line here alongside Boateng and Abdul-Aziz Yakubu, who have netted seven and six times this season, respectively.

Portimonense possible starting lineup:

Nakamura; Costa, Pedrao, Alemao, Seck; Fukui, Carlinhos, Ventura; Pereira, Varela, Campos

Rio Ave possible starting lineup:

Jhonatan; Pantalon, Santos, William; Costinha, Tanlongo, Graca, Embalo; Boateng, Yakubu, Joca

We say: Portimonense 1-1 Rio Ave

This is arguably the biggest game of the season for Portimonense, who will know that anything less than three points will likely see them end the season in the relegation playoff, or worse. Unfortunately for the hosts, they are facing a Rio Ave side that are unbeaten in 10 league games, holding the likes of Sporting and Braga to draws in that time.

This should be an intriguing contest, but we feel both sides will have to settle for a point apiece at the final whistle.

Previews by email

Top News

23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Yemen and Saudi Arabia will celebrate Christmas Day by facing each other on matchday two of the Arabian Gulf Cup on Wednesday at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk First place in Group B of the Arabian Gulf Cup will be at stake on Wednesday as Bahrain and Iraq celebrate Christmas Day at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United transfer target Randal Kolo Muani is very likely to leave Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window, according to reports. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have reportedly set their sights on West Ham United attacker Mohammed Kudus, with Pep Guardiola keen to strengthen his struggling squad. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly set to rival Arsenal for the signature of Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in the summer of 2025. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The final Premier League gameweek before Christmas appropriately served up some crackers, including a festive feast of goals in North London, where Liverpool ran riot in an exhilarating 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Even when the pulse settled a little after this compellingspectacle it was still difficult to know quite where to start todissect this nine-goal thriller. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Ange Postecoglou cut an irritated figure as he claimed he's going to stop answering questions about Tottenham's tactics. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Borussia Dortmund attacker Julian Brandt next month. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Mohamed Salah refused to give anything away when asked whether he could break Ian Rush's all-time goalscoring record after the Reds' remarkable 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's astonishing 6-3 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening saw a multitude of records and achievements surpassed, as the Reds moved four points clear at the top of the table. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Ahli have reportedly emerged as the favourites to sign Marcus Rashford, with the Manchester United attacker widely expected to be on the move during the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Everton have become surprise leaders in one statistic across Europe thanks to their draw at home to Chelsea. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool will spend Christmas Day four points clear at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a breathtaking 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur in North London. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Kylian Mbappe struck a landmark effort to put himself firmly among Real Madrid's elite. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has insisted that he is "absolutely happy" with his side's goalless draw at Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 talksport.com If you thought Mohamed Salah couldn't set yet another record, think again. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk For a second time in successive Gulf Cup competitions, The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait will meet in the group stage, with this upcoming game taking place on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Amad International Stadium in Kuwait City. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong is supposedly not a 'concrete target' for Liverpool amid speculation over Trent Alexander-Arnold's future. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid moved into second spot in the La Liga table courtesy of a 4-2 success over Sevilla in Sunday afternoon's contest at Bernabeu, with Los Blancos ending 2024 on a high note. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Oman and Qatar will compete in the Gulf Cup for the first time in over a decade on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, each seeking their first victory in this edition of the tournament. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly received offers from three clubs for defender Eric Garcia, but the player is pushing against a move away from Catalonia during the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have broken two unwanted club Premier League records in their humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk New Wolverhampton Wanderers' boss Vitor Pereira earned three points when his side comfortably beat Ruud van Nistelrooy's Leicester City 3-0 away from home on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Aaron Ramsdale was spotted wearing a modified goalkeeper glove in Southampton's Premier League clash at Fulham. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea squandered the chance to go top of the Premier League table for a couple of hours as Everton held the Blues to a goalless stalemate at Goodison Park. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Djed Spence has been named in the Tottenham Hotspur starting XI for their Premier League clash with Liverpool, while Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo get the nod up front for the visitors. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Manchester United were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth in a defeat that saw Ruben Amorim's side achieve an unwanted record. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Gary Neville believes that Ruben Amorim will allow Marcus Rashford to leave Manchester United for the sake of 'himself and the club'. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Pep Guardiola isn't immune from the sack at Manchester City having continued their unprecedented and dismal run of form.