Rio Ave v Moreirense: survival fight meets mid-table push | OneFootball

Rio Ave host Moreirense in Liga Portugal on Monday, 16 February 2026 at the Estádio do Rio Ave Futebol Clube, with the hosts trying to pull clear of danger and the visitors looking to reinforce a top-half challenge.

Moreirense won the reverse fixture 3-1 in September and arrive nine points better off in the table. Rio Ave sit 15th after 21 games and need a response at home, while Moreirense are 9th and aiming to halt a recent wobble.

Rio Ave's league run has dipped with four straight defeats since early January. A 3-0 loss at Braga followed a 3-0 home reverse to Arouca, underlining a fragile spell after their 3-1 win over Casa Pia. Moreirense have lost back-to-back matches after beating Tondela and Santa Clara.

Season numbers point to the match-up. Rio Ave have conceded 41 goals with only two clean sheets, and average 45% possession with 82.81% passing accuracy. The visitors have seven clean sheets, tend to keep 51% of the ball and deliver accurately from wide areas, completing 19.81% of 212 open-play crosses and scoring eight headed goals. Clayton leads Rio Ave with 10 league goals, while André Luiz has seven goals and five assists. For Moreirense, Guilherme Schettine has nine goals, with Dinis Pinto and Alan supplying six and five assists respectively.

A home win would move Rio Ave to 23 points and could ease pressure above the relegation play-off places. Victory for Moreirense would take them to 33 points and could lift them up the table towards the European conversation.