Looking to bounce back from their respective Taca de Portugal exits, Rio Ave and Farense go head to head at the Estadio dos Arcos in round nine of the Primeira Liga on Sunday.
Having failed to win the previous five meetings between the sides since October 2020, the Leoes de Faro will head into the weekend seeking to get one over the home side.
Match preview
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Rio Ave suffered a disappointing third-round exit from the Taca de Portugal last Sunday when they fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Segunda Liga outfit Torreense at the Campo Manuel Marques.
Josue Sa struck in the 76th minute to cancel out Cristian Tassano's first-half opener, but Welthon found the back of the net five minutes later to restore the hosts lead and send them through to the fourth round.
This was in keeping with their struggles in the Primeira Liga, where they have failed to win their last seven matches since kicking off the campaign with a 2-0 victory over Chaves on August 13.
With five points from their opening eight matches, Luis Freire's men are currently bottom but one in the Primeira Liga standings, just one point above last-placed Estoril Praia.
Rio Ave's underwhelming start to the season has been in no small part owing to their lack of cutting edge in attack, where they currently hold the division's poorest record, having scored just six goals this season.
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Like this weekend's hosts, Farense were dumped out of the Taca de Portugal last time out when they fell to a 3-2 loss against second-tier Vilaverdense at the Campo Cruz Do Reguengo.
Following an uneventful first half, the game sparked to life after the break as the hosts raced to a three-goal lead courtesy of Lenio Neves, Joao Caiado and Bruno Silva before Talocha and Bruno Duarte both found the target in stoppage time to reduce the deficit.
Farense now turn their attention to the Primeira Liga, where they have failed to win their three games since beating Braga 3-1 on September 16, losing successive games against Moreirense and Sporting Lisbon before playing out a goalless draw with Vizela on October 7.
Jose Mota's men have picked up two wins, one draw and lost five of their opening eight league matches to collect seven points and sit 13th in the table, level on points with 14th-placed Chaves.
While Farense will be looking to stop the rot, next up is an opposing side who they have failed to get the better of in their last five meetings, losing four and picking up one draw since October 2020.
Team News
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Rio Ave will take to the pitch without Portuguese midfielder Joca, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury last September.
Other than that, they head into the weekend with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, giving Freire the luxury of a relatively full-strength squad to select from.
Duarte grabbed his second goal of the season against Vilaverdense last time out and the Brazilian forward should spearhead the Farense attack once again.
Fellow countryman Mattheus Oliveira, who has four goal involvements in the league, should start at the centre of the park, teaming up with Fabricio Isidoro and 29-year-old Claudio Falcao.
Having started each of the last four matches, 29-year-old Artur Jorge should retain his role at the defensive end of the pitch, forming the backline with Pastor, Igor Rossi and Joao Talocha
Rio Ave possible starting lineup:
Jhonatan; Sa, Santos, Nobrega; Costinha, Graca, Oudrhiri, Ronaldo; Ze Manuel, Ruiz, Ventura
SC Farense possible starting lineup:
Velho; Pastor, Jorge, Rossi, Talocha; Mattheus, Falcao, Isidoro; Balde, Matias, Duarte
We say: Rio Ave 1-0 SC Farense
Still licking their wounds from their cup exits, Rio Ave and Farense will be looking to pick up a morale-boosting result and we anticipate an exciting battle at the Estadio dos Arcos. Rio Ave have enjoyed the better of this fixture, and given their home advantage, we are backing them to see off Mota's men who have lost their last four away matches.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
