Sporting CP are yet to keep a clean sheet and the trend is set to continue in Barcelos. Rio Ave can score at home with BTTS my only selection in this one.
Key Stats
- Rio Ave have seen BTTS in 4 of their last 6 home games.
- Rio Ave have seen BTTS in 3 of their last 4 home matches against Sporting CP.
- Sporting CP have seen over 2.5 goals in 6 of their last 7 matches against Rio Ave.
- Sporting CP have seen BTTS in 8 of their last 9 matches.
- Sporting CP have seen over 3.5 goals in their last 3 matches.
HTH
Sporting CP have a 48-9 advantage against Rio Ave alongside 17 draws. Both teams have scored in three of the previous four encounters in Barcelos.
Rio Ave Off the Mark
Rio Ave lost their opening two games in Liga Portugal, the first a 1-0 defeat at Gil Vicente where Andreas Ntoi was sent off in the 47th minute. They conceded a penalty in the 87th minute.
The Barcelos club were outclassed by Porto, registering one shot on target in a 1-0 loss at home.
Sotiris Sylaidopoulos’ side are coming off a 2-0 win at Estoril where they had 3-18 shots. Jalen Blesa opened the scoring and assisted Tamble Monteiro late on, goalkeeper Ennio van der Gouw man of the match.
The Greek manager wasn’t too thrilled with the performance: “To be fair, of the three league games we've played, this was the worst. Seriously! We deserved more in the previous two games.”
“Today we were more pragmatic. We wanted to win, to get the three points, but sometimes it's not just the football that counts.”
No Clean Sheets for Sporting
Sporting are yet to keep a clean sheet after a turbulent transfer window resulted in a new look midfield. They led 2-0 at Estrela da Amadora but fell apart and were fortunate to escape with a 2-2 draw.
Rui Borges’ side produced a similar performance at home against Guimaraes. Flávio Gonçalves, Fotis Ioannidis and Sergi Altimira scored to establish a 3-0 half-time lead before holding on to win 3-2, ending the contest with 5-12 shots.
The Lions earned a comfortable 3-1 win against Alverca last time out. Maxi Araújo scored in the 2nd minute and the result was rarely in doubt, the visitors scoring a consolation in the 88th minute.
Predicted Lineups & Team News
Rio Ave (4-3-3) Ennio van der Gouw; Georgios Liavas, Pancho Petrasso, Jakub Brabec, Nelson Abbey; Tamás Nikitscher, Andreas Ntoi, Diogo Nascimento; Jalen Blesa, Tamble Monteiro, Diogo Bezerra
Jakub Brabec had a strong performance in Estoril and could keep Gustavo Mancha on the bench. Tamás Nikitscher looks to have earned a starting spot and Andreas Ntoi could replace Roland Galcík.
Left-back Pedro Amaral has been signed as a free agent after ending his spell with Estoril.
Goalkeeper Cezary Misztaremains out and Brandon Aguilera is not expected back soon after suffering a cruciate ligament injury. Ryan Guilherme is doubtful.
Sylaidopoulos discussed the transfer speculation surrounding Jalen Blesa: “Jalen deserves the spotlight. We have to live with the market. One of our objectives is also to develop players. If there's a good offer, we have to analyse it.”
Sporting CP (4-2-3-1) Rui Silva; Iván Fresneda, Ibrahima Ba, Gonçalo Inácio, Maxi Araújo; Sergi Altimira, Issa Doumbia; Geny Catamo, Rodrigo Zalazar, Flávio Gonçalves; Luis Suárez
Nuno Santos and João Simões remain out but Fotis Ioannidis has returned to training after a back injury.
Flávio Gonçalves position on the left wing is coming under threat by Nestory Irankunda, Borges saying: "As I said, they are players with different characteristics. Flávio isn't a natural winger, he's an inside player."
"Irankunda is a natural winger. He's powerful, gives us wide play, acceleration, and a more vertical style of play. Flávio gives us a more deliberate, more associative style of play. It was with this understanding that we wanted to add different things to the squad."
Teenage left-back Moncef Zekri has been signed from Mechelen for €3m. Expect to see Nestory Irankunda come off the bench once again.
Daniel Bragança and Pedro Gonçalves continue to be left out of the squad as they explore offers from other clubs. Borges said: "If they're still Sporting players when the transfer window closes... I'd be delighted. They're great players."
"We owe them a lot because they always gave everything for Sporting and made history at Sporting. They're looking for new challenges. More than for me, they also want to see their situation resolved quickly."
The manager started with Ibrahima Ba and Zeno Debast in central defence against Alverca, so it remains to be seen what happens with Eduardo Quaresma and Gonçalo Inácio.
He discussed the centre-back pairing "This duo of Zeno Debast and Ibrahima Ba was important in today's strategy. It gave me more guarantees, we felt, and that's why they played."
There have been rumours that Luis Suárez wants to leave the club, Borges saying: "For me, it's a non-issue. He's training well, he's focused, he's in the squad for tomorrow's game. I talk to him like I talk to everyone else."