The objective for Rio Ave going into the month-long break would have been to keep up their momentum, and coach Luis Freire will be happy with how his team played.
The Vilacondenses began their Taca da Liga campaign by defeating Maritimo 1-0 three weeks after defeating Arouca 1-0 on the road. Aderllan Santos scored the game-winning goal in the 90th minute.
On December 7, however, Sporting Lisbon defeated them 2-0, with goals from Goncalo Inacio and an own goal from Emmanuel Boateng in the second half giving the Leoes the victory.
Last time out, Rio Ave defeated 10-man Farense 2-1 at home to finish second in Group B of the Taca da Liga, three points behind group champions Sporting Lisbon, the four-time champions.
Although Freire’s team lost their first game in the League Cup, they have put together a strong run of form in preparation for their return to the Primeira Liga, where they have won three of their last four games.
Additionally, Rio Ave won all three of their recent league home games while maintaining a perfect record, helping them to move up to the tenth spot in the Primeira Liga standings just before the break.
On the other hand, Maritimo was brought to their knees in their final league game before the World Cup when they lost 1-0 to Vitoria de Guimaraes on November 14.
At the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques, substitute Tiago Silva scored the game’s only goal off the bench to give the home team their sixth victory in seven games overall.
After that, they had a dismal run in the Taca da Liga, losing all three of their games while giving up eight goals and scoring none themselves, and finishing last in Group B.
With just six points from a possible 29 to place them in 17th place in the league standings, five points off of Famalicao and just outside the relegation zone, Maritimo must now find a way to stop the rot as they return to the Primeira Liga.
O Maior das Ilhas’ underwhelming season has been a result of their difficulties away from home, where they have only managed one win and eight losses out of their 10 games played this season in all competitions.
However, Jose Manuel Gomes’ team will be optimistic about their chances of getting back on the winning track as they face Rio Ave, a team they haven’t lost to in the last four league meetings after suffering a 2-0 defeat in January 2019.
1×2 Betting Odds
Coming into this weekend, Rio Ave has been on a roll and will be looking to pick up where they left off before the World Cup break.
It can be expected that Freire’s team will win all three points as they face a Maritimo team that is in disarray and has had trouble scoring on the road.
Rio Ave, the home side, are the favourites to win this with odds @ 2.10.
The away side given its form and their problems on the road, are the underdogs in this with odds @ 3.96.
The possibility of a stalemate stands @ 3.52.
Total goals over/under
The odds that the total number of goals score will be over 2.5, stands @ 2.17.
While the odds that the total number of goals will be under 2.5, stands @ 1.85.
