Porto and Rio Ave meet at Estádio Do Dragão, in a match for the 23rd round of the Primeira Liga. Porto won out (1-2) the last time they met in this edition of the league, on 09-17-2017. In this stadium, the history of direct confrontations is favorable to the home team, which records 6 wins and 1 draw in the last 7 matches. In fact, the last time these two teams played a match at this stadium was on 21-12-2017, in a match for the League Cup that ended with Porto’s victory by (3-0). The goals of the match were scored by Tiquinho (11 ‘), M. Marega (21’) and V. Aboubakar (90 ‘) for Porto. In this game the home factor may be decisive, since the Rio Ave presents considerable differences in their results at home and as a visitor.

The home team is currently in the 1 st position, with 55 points won, after 17 wins and 4 draws. In the penultimate match, they won in a home match against Sporting Braga, by (3-1). In the last match, they won in an away match against Chaves, by (0-4). This is a team that usually maintains its competitive levels in home and away matches, since in the last 30 matches they register 9 wins, 5 draws and 1 loss in away matches; against 12 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss at their stadium. The team comes to this match after a home defeat with Liverpool by (0-5).

For this competition, he did not lose any of the last 21 games. Their attack has scored regularly, since they have scored goals in 8 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In their away matches there is a tendency for goals, since 8 of the last 11 matches for this competition have ended with Over 2,5 goals. This is a team that usually scores many times first: opened the scoring in 17 of its last 21 matches for the Primeira Liga, of these 17 came to the break in advantage in 13 and managed to maintain the advantage until the end of the 90 ‘in 16 .
FC Porto had a snub of unexpected magnitude in the last match played, as it was completely dominated by Liverpool, in a first leg of the knockout round of the Champions League: a defeat by 0-5. But in the last match for the championship, he beat Chaves by 0-4. In this game against his fans, coach Sérgio Conceição must play in the usual 4-2-3-1, benefiting possession of the ball and organized attacks: Sérgio Oliveira has been a very important player in the offensive process. Striker Marega is the player who stands out in the championship, with 16 goals scored. Despite presenting quality in the attack, FC Porto has disappointed in the defensive sector. For this match against Rio Ave, the local coach can not count on Aboubakar, Fabiano and Danilo Pereira, all injured.

The away team is currently in the 5 th position of the league, with 36 points won, after 11 wins, 3 draws and 8 losses. In the penultimate match, they lost in an away match against Benfica, by (5-1). In the last match, they won in a home match against Marítimo, by (3-0). This is a team that usually makes good use of the home advantage, stronger with the help of its supporters, since in the last 30 matches they register 5 wins, 4 draws and 6 losses in away matches, with 20 goals scored and 23 conceded; against 9 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses at their stadium, with 28 goals scored and 16 conceded. For the championship, Rio Ave won 11 points out of 30 possible points, after 3 wins, 2 draws and 5 losses in the last 10 home matches. In their away league matches the most frequent result at half-time was the 0-1 (6 out of 11 matches). They have not been very strong defensively, since they have suffered goals in 8 of the last 10 matches, but their offense has scored frequently, since they have scored at least one goal in each of the last 10 matches for this competition. In 22 matches in this tournament, they have conceded the first goal 8 times and have only won 1 result. In the last 11 away matches for this competition there is 1 period that stands out: they have conceded 6 of their 17 goals between minutes (76’-90 ‘).
The Rio Ave comes to this day with a victory at home over Maritimo 3-0, returning to the victories after two consecutive defeats in the Portuguese championship. It is important to note that those two defeats were away from home, against Benfica and Portimonense. In this powerful match against FC Porto, coach Miguel Cardoso must keep the team in 4-2-3-1, benefiting the defensive organization and counterattacks through the flanks. It is important to note that the offensive transition is a very strong point of Rio Ave. The left winger João Novais is one of the best markers of this team, with 8 goals scored. For this game the coach has Gelson Dala in doubt, due to an injury.

PREDICTION: Over 2.5 goals @ 1.50