Rio Ave will be bidding to end what has been a strong campaign on a positive note when they welcome Famalicao to Estadio dos Arcos on Friday night.
The home side, who were promoted from Portugal's second tier last season, currently sit 12th in the Primeira Liga table, while Famalicao occupy eighth position, boasting 43 points from their 33 matches.
Match preview
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Rio Ave secured a return to Portugal's top flight by winning Liga Portugal 2 last season, so consolidating back at this level of football was always going to be their number one priority this term.
With that in mind, it has been a successful campaign for Rioavistas, who have picked up 39 points from their 33 league matches this season to sit 12th in the table, 13 points clear of 16th position.
Rio Ave could finish as high as ninth depending on their result in this match and other results this weekend, so they will be fired up to collect three points, as it could see them jump a few places in the table.
Luis Freire's side will enter this game off the back of a 3-1 loss at Pacos Ferreira on Sunday, though, while they have actually only won one of their last eight league games during a disappointing run.
Rio Ave secured a point in the reverse game against Famalicao earlier this season, but they suffered a 1-0 loss when the two sides last locked horns in a top-flight game at Estadio dos Arcos in February 2021.
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Famalicao have finished sixth, ninth and eighth in their three campaigns back at this level following their promotion at the end of the 2018-19 campaign.
A total of 43 points from 33 matches has left them in eighth position in the table, three points behind seventh-placed Chaves and eight behind sixth-placed Arouca.
Like Rio Ave, Famalicao do not have anything substantial to play for in their last game of the season, but they could drop a few places with a defeat here if other results go against them.
Joao Pedro Sousa's side will enter this match off the back of a 4-2 home loss to Porto on Saturday, while they have not actually been victorious in the league since overcoming Maritimo on April 22.
Vila Nova, who have never finished higher than sixth in Portugal's top flight, have had mixed results on the road this season, winning four, drawing three and losing nine of their 16 matches, and they will be taking on a Rio Ave side that have won eight of their 16 home league games this term.
Team News
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Rio Ave will again be missing midfielder Joca on Friday through injury, but the home side are otherwise in good shape heading into this contest.
Emmanuel Boateng, who has scored five times this season, entered as a half-time substitute against Pacos Ferreira last time out, and the attacker could now come in for a start here.
Head coach Freire is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack, though, meaning that the likes of Andre Pereira and Fabio Ronaldo are likely to start on the bench once again.
As for Famalicao, Theo Fonseca remains a long-term absentee with a knee injury, while Jose Luis Rodriguez will again miss out due to a hamstring issue.
Ivan Jaime has scored 11 times during a strong campaign, and the 22-year-old will again feature in an advanced area for the visitors in this match.
There are unlikely to be many changes from the side that started against Porto, but there could be an alteration down the right, with Junior Kadile potentially coming in for Alexandru Dobre.
Rio Ave possible starting lineup:
Magrao; Pantalon, Aderllan, William; Costinha, Gomes, Guga, Vitor; Baeza, Ruiz, Boateng
Famalicao possible starting lineup:
Junior; Penetra, Riccieli, Otavio, Lima; Youssouf, Colombatto; Kadile, Rodrigues, Jaime; Pablo
We say: Rio Ave 1-1 Famalicao
Neither side has anything serious to play for on Friday evening, but it should still be a competitive match between two out-of-form sides. A draw would not be a bad result for either under the circumstances, and we are expecting the points to be shared at Estadio dos Arcos.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
