FC Porto and Aves SAD in buoyant mood for top-v-bottom Liga clash | OneFootball

The Dragons reached the peak of their season by securing the national title last weekend after a 1-0 win over Alverca.

For their part, Aves have already had relegation confirmed, but – surprisingly – they are enjoying their best spell of the season. Never before had the Vila das Aves side gone four consecutive matches without defeat this season.

First, Aves SAD recorded three straight draws – against Vitória de Guimarães (1-1), Rio Ave (2-2) and Sporting (1-1). Then they beat Nacional (2-1) and, with that result, achieved the two micro-objectives set by João Henriques after relegation was confirmed: to win away from home for the first time and avoid the worst-ever finish by a team in a 34-match Liga season since wins started being worth three points.

The side coached by João Henriques moved up to 17 points, overtaking Penafiel of 2005/06, who finished with 15. It is, moreover, curious to note how, even already relegated, the Aves club continues to project confidence. If we consider only the last 15 matchdays, the team would be at least in the relegation play-off spot. If we look only at the last 20, they would be back at the bottom.

In 18 Liga matches, the coach who replaced João Pedro Sousa has recorded two wins – against Estoril (3-0) and Nacional – eight draws and eight defeats, and has been responsible for the bottom side’s only victories in the competition.

FC Porto and Aves SAD – in completely different contexts, but both in good form – are set to meet on Sunday at 6pm.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.