Rio Ave vs Sporting CP Prediction, Preview and Stats

Portugal flag 2025/2026 Liga Portugal, Portugal
Estádio do Rio Ave Futebol Clube Mon, 11 May - 7:15 PM
Liga Portugal
Rio Ave RAFC
Versus
Sporting CP SCP
KICKOFF : Mon, 11 May - 7:15 PM
Round 33 Regular Season

CONTEXT

In Liga Portugal's 2025/2026 regular season, Rio Ave hosts Sporting CP at Estádio do Rio Ave Futebol Clube, pitting 12th-placed hosts against ambitious 2nd-placed visitors. Sporting CP enters with a dominant power score of 88.4, dwarfing Rio Ave's 64.23 for a 24.2-point advantage that underscores their structural superiority. Recent form reinforces this, with Sporting's 20.33 rating edging Rio Ave's 16.22, though no specific last outings are detailed. League positions highlight Sporting's consistency near the top, while Rio Ave battles in mid-table. Projections reflect this imbalance: Rio Ave at 9.4%, draw 17%, Sporting CP 73.6%, with minor deltas from baselines. Set piece metrics remain unavailable without xG data, leaving efficiency and transition phases unclear. Home support may inspire Rio Ave, but Sporting's metrics suggest control and pressure throughout.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Sporting CP holds a 24.2-point power advantage and 2nd place, contrasting Rio Ave's 12th position.
  • Form: Sporting CP's form score of 20.33 surpasses Rio Ave's 16.22.
  • Squad: Squad strength aligns with power scores, favoring Sporting CP significantly.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency data unavailable for both teams.
  • Transition: Transition metrics not provided in available data.
  • Set pieces: Set piece performance unavailable due to absent xG data and low confidence proxies.
  • xVariable: xG variables unavailable as add-on not enabled.
  • Market: Rio Ave 9.4% (Δ+0%) | Draw 17% (Δ+0%) | Sporting CP 73.6% (Δ+0%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
Rio Ave S. Silaidopoulos
S. Silaidopoulos
VS
Sporting CP R. Gomes Borges
R. Gomes Borges
1.1
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
2.29
1.33 i
Last 6 Opponents
Gil Vicente Rank: 70 D
Vitória Guimarães Rank: 71 L
AVS Rank: 55 D
Santa Clara Rank: 67 W
Alverca Rank: 67 L
Estoril Rank: 68 W
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
1.83 i
Last 6 Opponents
Vitória Guimarães Rank: 72 W
Tondela Rank: 59 D
AVS Rank: 55 D
Benfica Rank: 86 L
Estrela Amadora Rank: 59 W
Santa Clara Rank: 67 W
4
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
4 - 7 - 24
24
No sidelined player data available.

Win Probabilities

Live Win Probability (90 Min)
Home Rio Ave
9.35%
Draw
17%
Away Sporting CP
73.64%

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
64.23
88.4
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Rio Ave
Sporting CP
Power Score
64.23
88.4
League Position
12
2
Global Rank
360
19

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

vs
Rio Ave Opponent-weighted form score
Sporting CP Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Rio Ave Sporting CP

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 35 matches between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

Rio Ave RAFC Home
35 matches
Sporting CP SCP Away
Match Record
4
Wins
24
7
Draws
7
24
Losses
4
Goals
26
Goals Scored
68
68
Goals Conceded
26
-42
Goal Difference
+42

Data last updated: 2026-05-07T00:52:17+00:00

STARTING XI - EXPECTED

Pitch
C. Miszta
1 C. Miszta
M. Vrousai
17 M. Vrousai
F. Petrasso
23 F. Petrasso
G. Teixeira Lopes da Conceição
39 G. Teixeira Lopes da Conceição
N. Abby
6 N. Abby
T. Nikitscher
44 T. Nikitscher
R. da Silva Pae
8 R. da Silva Pae
D. Bezerra de Oliveira
7 D. Bezerra de Oliveira
J. Miller Blesa
11 J. Miller Blesa
D. Špikić
18 D. Špikić
T. Folgado Monteiro
9 T. Folgado Monteiro
R. Dantas da Silva
1 R. Dantas da Silva
M. Araújo Vilches
20 M. Araújo Vilches
G. Inácio
25 G. Inácio
Z. Debast
6 Z. Debast
E. Quaresma Coimbra Simões
72 E. Quaresma Coimbra Simões
H. Morita
5 H. Morita
D. Santos Bragança
23 D. Santos Bragança
P. Pereira Gonçalves
8 P. Pereira Gonçalves
F. Machado Mota de Castro Trincão
17 F. Machado Mota de Castro Trincão
G. Cipriano Catamo
10 G. Cipriano Catamo
L. Suárez Charris
97 L. Suárez Charris

General Information

Date & Time :
May 11, 2026, 07:15 PM
Competition :
2025/2026 Liga Portugal, Portugal · Round 33 · Regular Season
Stadium :
Estádio do Rio Ave Futebol Clube
Capacity :
12815
Pitch Surface :
Grass
Weather :
☀️ 12°C, Fair

Expected Lineup

Starting XI

1
Cezary Miszta
Cezary Miszta Goalkeeper
6.98
9
Tamble Monteiro
Tamble Monteiro Centre Forward
6.69
7
Diogo Bezerra
Diogo Bezerra Right Wing
6.8
8
Ryan
Ryan Defensive Midfield
6.67
11
Jalen Blesa
Jalen Blesa Attacking Midfield
7.1
17
Marios Vrousai
Marios Vrousai Right Back
7.06
23
Francisco Petrasso
Francisco Petrasso Right Back
6.62
6
Nelson Abbey
Nelson Abbey Left Back
6.61
18
Dario Spikic
Dario Spikic Left Wing
6.68
39
Gustavo Mancha
Gustavo Mancha Left Back
6.73
44
Tamás Nikitscher
Tamás Nikitscher Defensive Midfield
6.65

Starting XI

1
Rui Silva
Rui Silva Goalkeeper
6.95
97
Luis Suárez
Luis Suárez Centre Forward
7.5
72
Eduardo Quaresma
Eduardo Quaresma Right Back
7.12
5
Hidemasa Morita
Hidemasa Morita Defensive Midfield
6.89
6
Zeno Debast
Zeno Debast Right Back
6.91
8
Pedro Gonçalves
Pedro Gonçalves Left Wing
7.56
10
Geny Catamo
Geny Catamo Right Wing
7.09
17
Francisco Trincão
Francisco Trincão Attacking Midfield
7.31
20
Maxi Araújo
Maxi Araújo Left Back
7.11
23
Daniel Bragança
Daniel Bragança Defensive Midfield
7.18
25
Gonçalo Inácio
Gonçalo Inácio Left Back
7.23

CONCLUSION

Sporting CP approaches this fixture as overwhelming favorites, their 24.2-point power edge and superior form score of 20.33 positioning them to dominate proceedings at Rio Ave's home. The hosts, 12th in the table with 16.22 form, face an uphill battle despite venue familiarity. Projections heavily back Sporting at 73.6%, with adjustments signaling slight home resilience for Rio Ave at 9.4%. Absent set piece and efficiency insights, expect Sporting to leverage overall quality in possession and attacks. Rio Ave's path lies in disciplined defense and opportunistic counters, but visitors' metrics point to a comfortable extension of their title push.

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