Two sides who could do well with a win go head to head on Sunday as Chaves play host to Rio Ave at the Estadio Municipal Eng. Manuel Branco Teixeira in round 18 of the Primeira Liga.
Having failed to win the last nine top-flight meetings between the teams, the Flavienses will head into the weekend looking to get one over the visitors and pick up their first win of the year.
Match preview
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Having secured an impressive seventh-placed finish last season, Chaves find themselves sweating over their top-flight status after what has been a disappointing campaign.
Joao Teixeira's men have picked up just 11 points so far and are currently rooted to the bottom of the Primeira Liga table, five points away from safety with a little under half the season to go.
With just 18 league goals scored so far — the joint-fewest number of goals scored in the league this season — a lack of cutting edge in the final phase of play has undoubtedly been a major architect of the Flavienses' misfortune.
This was highlighted in last Saturday's clash against league leaders Sporting Lisbon when they finished without a shot on target, with Paulinho, Fransico Trincao and Pedro Goncalves finding the back of the net to hand the Leoes a comprehensive victory.
Chaves have now gone five straight games without a win, claiming one point from the last 15 available, and have won just one of their last 10 matches across all competitions while losing eight and claiming one draw since October.
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Rio Ave, on the other hand, were sent crashing back to earth last Sunday as they suffered a 4-1 defeat against title-chasing Benfica when the sides squared off at the Estadio da Luz.
In a game where Aderllan Santos received his marching orders, Angel Di Maria, Antonio Silva, Marcos Leonardo and Joao Mario all found the target to cancel out Goncalo Rodrigues's ninth-minute opener and hand As Aguias their 13th win of the season.
Prior to that, Rio Ave picked up their first win of the year on January 7, when they edged out Portimonense 2-0 at the Estadio dos Arcos to end their run of five back-to-back outings without a win.
Luis Freire's side have now lost eight of their 17 Primeira Liga matches so far while picking up three wins and six draws to collect 15 points and sit in 16th-place, one point behind Gil Vicente just above the dotted line.
While victory this weekend could take Rio Ave level with 11th-placed Estrela Amadora, their results on the road offer little optimism as they have failed to taste victory away from home this season, losing seven and picking up three draws in 10 matches across all competitions.
However, the Vilacondenses will be backing themselves against a Chaves side who have failed to win any of their most recent four meetings, claiming two draws and losing twice, including a 2-0 defeat in August's reverse fixture.
Team News
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Chaves will have to cope without the duo of Bruno Langa and Ricardo Guimaraes Guima, who are both representing Mozambique at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations.
On the injury front, the Flavienses remain without the services of 24-year-old Habib Sylla, who has been sidelined since September through a muscle problem.
Brazilian defender Ygor Nogueira has missed each of Chaves' last three games since coming off injured against Casa Pia on December 17 and will play no part in Sunday's game.
Rio Ave will take to the pitch without Portuguese forward Andre Pereira, who is set to sit out his third consecutive game after sustaining an injury against Vitoria de Guimaraes on December 23.
Freire will also be unable to call upon the services of experienced defender Santos, who is currently suspended after picking up a red card against Benfica last time out.
Chaves possible starting lineup:
Souza; Fernandes, Vitoria, Rodrigues; Correia, Morim, Nwakali, Cruz; Sanca, Hernandez, Ribeiro
Rio Ave possible starting lineup:
Jhonatan; Sa, Pantalon, Nobrega; Costinha, Graca, Oudrhiri, Guga; Ronaldo, Joca, Boateng
We say: Chaves 1-1 Rio Ave
Having both endured a disappointing first half of the season, Chaves and Rio Ave find themselves scrambling for points in the relegation zone and will head into the weekend in search of a pick-me-up. While Rio Ave are slight favourites, they have struggled to impose themselves away from home and we predict they will hold out for a share of the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
