FC Porto vs Rio Ave Prediction: Betting On The Total Under

Rio Ave will be looking for their second win of the year when they travel to Estádio do Dragão to face FC Porto in the 21st round of the Primeira Liga.

Will FC Porto suffer their second consecutive defeat against Rio Ave, or will they rise to the occasion and earn their 10th consecutive victory across all competitions before locking horns with Inter Milan in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16?

Let's have a look at the latest Portuguese Primeira Liga predictions between FC Porto vs Rio Ave, team news, probable lineups, match facts and up to date betting odds for you to consider!

FC Porto

Form: WWWWW

In their most recent match on the road, the Dragoes strolled to a 2:1 victory over slightly favored Sporting CP, with Mateus Uribe breaking the deadlock in the 60th minute and Pepe (Eduardo Cossa) hammering the final nail in the coffin 4 minutes into stoppage time before his team conceded a goal three minutes later.

They've played consistently over the course of their last 10 games in the Primeira Liga, going without a loss thus far, recording eight wins and two draws, and have done quite a commendable job, which has prevented them from falling behind their rivals for the contention of the title, which they have had their sights set on since day one.

They have won five straight home games in the Primeira Liga since their disappointing home loss to Benfica (1:0) four months ago and have yet to disappoint their fans at the Estádio do Dragão. It's also worth noting that they demonstrated a ferocious attacking capability, scoring 15 goals while demonstrating a solid defense, conceding only three goals.

They are presently in second place with 48 points, only 5 points behind first place, and will most likely want to narrow the point gap to just two points by securing all three points in this encounter. 

Team News

FC Porto will be without a number of players for this encounter, with Francisco Meixedo, Otavio, and Fabio Cardoso all out with injuries, as well as Evanilson and Gabriel Veron, who are still recovering from their ailments.

Probable Starting XI

Formation: 4-4-2

Costa; Mario, Pepe, Marcano, Sanusi; Franco, Grujic, Uribe, Pepe; Taremi, Galeno

Rio Ave

Form: WLLDL

While they had gone six games without a win, recording three losses and three draws, the Vilacondenses were given some leeway when they finally got back to winning ways in their recent home match against Estoril Praia, recording a 2:0 victory to safely secure all three points, which saw them hover above them in the standings.

Prior to that, they couldn't do much against Sporting CP at home, falling to a 1:0 setback despite their valiant efforts to keep them at bay until their defense was caught lacking in the 84th minute, crushing any hopes they had of salvaging a point, which would've been a golden ticket for them.

While it's impossible to ignore their dismal away record—only one win in their last nine away games—they'll undoubtedly face a challenging road ahead as they try to build on their recent success and secure a second straight victory.

They are presently in 11th place with 24 points, and their bid for 8th place is hampered by a three-point disadvantage, and they are 9 points ahead of the relegation playoffs.

Team News

Rio Ave will be without long-term absentee Joca, who has been out for three months with a knee injury, as well as Miguel Baeza.

Probable Starting XI

Formation: 3-4-3

Jhonatan; William, Sa, Pantalon; Costinha, Rodrigues, Samaris, Ronaldo; Graca, Boateng, Ruiz

Match Facts

• FC Porto is currently on a four-game winning streak in the Primeira Liga at home.
• In the Primeira Liga, FC Porto has won five consecutive games.
• The average number of goals scored in a match between FC Porto and Rio Ave is 2.4.
• When playing at home, FC Porto averages 2.82 goals per game, while Rio Ave averages 0.95 goals per game when playing away.

Head-To-Head

FC Porto has won 31 of the last 41 meetings; Rio Ave has won twice; and there have been eight ties with a goal difference of 90-27 in favor of FC Porto.

Expert Betting Tips

Rio Ave will undoubtedly be ambitious in this match as they seek to win their second game in a row and, ideally, complete a sweep of the hosts by repeating the 3:1 score from August. And this will require them to put forth a convincing performance, something they have shied away from in recent games.

Although FC Porto currently is the second best in the Primeira Liga when it comes to being offensive, it comes with a doubt that they'll display the qualities of being an offensive side here, and when taking into note their last three home matches against Rio Ave, the total did not exceed over. As a result, we do not anticipate as many goals to be scored in this match and will instead bet on a total of under 3 goals, which should be enough to suffice.

• Goals - Under 3 for 1.77
• Result/Both Teams To Score - FC Porto/No for 1.66
• Corners - Over 9.5 for 1.77