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

The Vilacondenses kicked off their hunt for top spot in Group B with a slender victory over Maritimo last Tuesday, while Ruben Amorim's side steamrolled Farrense 6-0 on home turf.

Match preview

Veteran defender Aderllan Santos put Maritimo to the sword in last week's group curtain-raiser as he struck in the 90th minute to hand Rio Ave a narrow 1-0 victory.

This result was in keeping with their recent upturn in form in the Primeira Liga, where Luis Freire's men are on a two-game winning run and have picked up nine points from the last nine 12 available since October's 4-2 loss to Benfica.

Rio Ave have scored just four goals in those four victories, but they have been impressive at the defensive end of the pitch, where they have conceded just once in their last five matches, which came in the 1-0 defeat against Casa Pia on October 30.

While their defensive resilience could be key to securing top spot in Group B, next up is a Sporting Lisbon side against whom they are winless in their last four encounters and have failed to keep a clean sheet since a goalless draw back in 2016.

However, the Vilacondenses will take courage in their impressive run of results against the Amorim's side in the Taca da Liga, where they have picked up two wins and one draw in their last three meetings since the 2011-12 campaign.

Sporting Lisbon, on the other hand, got their Taca da Liga title defence underway in style as they claimed a 6-0 victory over Farense when the sides met at the Estadio Jose Alvalade last Wednesday.

A brace from Paulinho and Marcus Edwards's 39th-minute strike put the hosts in a commanding lead heading into the interval before Pedro Goncalves, Arthur Gomes and Mateus Fernandes added to the shoreline to sink the Segunda Liga side.

Prior to that, the Leoes claimed a 3-0 victory over Vitoria de Guimaraes in the Primeira Liga on November 5 to end their three-game winless run, before seeing off Famalicao 2-1 in their final outing before the World Cup break.

While Sporting Lisbon will be looking to pick up where they dropped off in the group opener, they have struggled for results on the road, where they are winless in three of their last four matches and have managed just two victories since early September.

Rio Ave Taca da Liga form:

W

Rio Ave form (all competitions):

L

W

L

W

W

W

Sporting Lisbon Taca da Liga form:

W

Sporting Lisbon form (all competitions):

D

L

L

W

W

W

Team News

Off the back of a solid performance against Maritimo, Freire could name an unchanged XI on Wednesday, meaning we could see a back three of Renato Pantalon, Patrick William and Santos, with Jhonatan in goal.

Miguel Baeza, Goncalo Rodrigues and skipper Vitor Gomes should retain their starting roles at the centre of the park, while Emmanuel Boateng, who has netted four goals in his last eight matches, should lead the attack.

The Ghanian international could be joined in the final third by Paulo Vitor and former Sporting Lisbon striker Leonardo Ruiz, who will push for his first consecutive starting appearance this season.

As for Sporting Lisbon, Amorim will be unable to call upon the services of Portuguese midfielder Daniel Braganca, who has been sidelined through a cruciate ligament rupture.

Fellow countryman Luis Neto has been out of action since September through a severe knee problem and the veteran defender will play no part in Wednesday's game.

Rio Ave possible starting lineup:

Jhonatan; Pantalon, William, Santos; Baeza, Rodrigues, Gomes; Vitor, Ruiz, Boateng

Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:

Adan; Juste, Inacio, Reis; Esgaio, Rochinha, Essugo, Porro; Trincao, Goncalves, Paulinho

We say: Rio Ave X-Y Sporting Lisbon

While Rio Ave will be looking to maintain their solid start to the campaign, they take on an in-form Sporting Lisbon side who have put together a fine run of form in recent weeks. Having won four Taca da Liga titles in the last five years, Amorim's side are heavily fancied to go all the way once again and we predict they will come away with all three points on Wednesday.

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