Rio Ave FC vs SL Benfica: Preview, Odds, Form Guide and Players to Watch (March 16) | OneFootball

SL Benfica will be aiming for their sixth consecutive league win when they travel to Vila do Conde to take on Rio Ave FC on Sunday evening. There is still plenty to play for in the Portuguese Primeira Liga for the Eagles with the club trailing first-place Sporting CP by only three points going into the Jornada 26 fixture. Benfica remain within touching distance of their Lisbon rivals and will know that anything less than three points will be a major let-down.

Rio Ave, meanwhile, will be desperate for a victory as they attempt to secure their first top six finish since 2020. The Rioavistas have a strong record at home, losing just once in 12 matches at the Estádio dos Arcos, and could cause some problems for a Benfica side that is still licking their wounds after being eliminated in the European Champions League.

Preview

There has been a sense of gloom, sorrow, regret and confusion for the Benfiquistas after a gruelling and drama-filled two legged tie against FC Barcelona in the European Champions League saw the club eliminated in the round of 16 stage. Bruno Lage’s men will have little time to dwell on the past as they prepare for three league matches and a cup semi-final in the next 17 days.

Lage, who was brought in to replace Roger Schmidt in August, has done a fantastic job of revitalising a talented group of players. A handful of additions over the January transfer window (Andrea Belotti, Bruma, Manu Silva and Samuel Dahl were brought in) have added depth to the squad and created some healthy competition in the starting 11.

Benfica are currently second in the standings with 56 points, and have a game in hand over the Lions. Sporting hold the head-to-head advantage, and a superior goal difference, but the two sides are set to meet at Benfica’s home ground on May 11, making this an evenly balanced title race.

In the league, the Águias have been efficient and well organised, accumulating 15 points from their last five matches to keep the pressure on Sporting at the top of the table. In their last three matches, they have not conceded a goal. Over 24 matches, they have recorded 56 goals and conceded just 18, the fewest goals allowed by any side in the league.

Benfica's goals have come from a variety of players with an incredible 20 different players scoring at some point of the campaign. Vangelis Pavlidis leads the team with 19 goals in all competitions, followed by Angel Di María who currently has 14.

Injuries have been an issue for Benfica this season and they are expected to be without Di María, Alexander Bah, Tiago Gouveia and Manu Silva for Sunday’s encounter.

Rio Ave’s season has yet to be defined, and things could swing either way in the coming weeks for the club. Petit, who did a fantastic job on a shoestring budget with Boavista in 2022 and 2023, was brought into the club in November and has been able to implement his ideology on the players.

The results have been mixed for Rio Ave over the last few weeks. Consecutive draws against FC Arouca and AVS in early February were followed by a defeat to GD Estoril. Petit’s side responded with a notable 2-0 home victory over SC Braga, but a defeat in their last game against FC Famalicão added to their poor run in away matches.

Rio Ave sit in 10th position in the standings with 29 points from 25 games. They have recorded 27 goals and conceded 40.

At the Estádio dos Arcos, Rio Ave have been exceptional, securing 21 points from 12 matches and losing only once. They have scored 19 of their 27 league goals at home, and will be hoping their supporters can carry them to an upset on Sunday.

Rio Ave are one of the final four clubs remaining in the Portuguese Cup and are still battling on two fronts. However, they face a tricky run of games that includes Benfica, Casa Pia A.C., Sporting and Boavista in the coming weeks.

Another concern for Petit will be that the club have been heavily reliant on Brazilian striker Clayton for goals. The 26-year-old has 16 goals and two assists over 28 games this season.

Tobías Medina and Francisco Petrasso are both expected to miss Sunday’s match due to injuries.

Odds

Over 2.5 total goals: 1.50, Under 2.5 goals: 2.12

*All odds provided from Betano.pt. Odds are subject to change prior to kick off.

Form Guide (All Competitions)

Rio Ave:

Benfica:

Head-to-head record

Rio Ave and Benfica have met on 70 occasions in four different competitions over the years. Historically, the Lisbon side have held that advantage in this fixture, winning 53 (75.7%), drawing 12 (17.1%) and losing 5 (7.2%).

In the Primeira Liga, they have faced each other 59 times with Benfica winning 44 (74.6%), Rio Ave winning 4 times (6.8%) and 11 draws (18.6%).

In recent seasons, Benfica have dominated the tie, winning 13 of the last 14 games (one draw) and outscoring their northern rivals 41-13 in those matches. The last time Rio Ave defeated Benfica in the league was back in 2015.

In their last encounter on 27 October, Benfica cruised to a 5-0 victory with Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Andreas Schjelderup and  Zeki Amdouni  all getting their names on the scoresheet at the Estádio da Luz.

Players to watch

After a lukewarm start to his Benfica career where he struggled to establish himself as the team’s first choice striker, Vangelis Pavlidis has been sensational over the second half of the campaign. One could argue that the turning point for the striker occurred on 21 January when he recorded a memorable first half hat-trick against Barcelona in the Champions League group stage. It was not the forwards first goals for the club, but it certainly put him on the map and established him as one of the most in-form strikers in Europe.

Since his dazzling display against Barcelona, Pavlidis has been the preferred choice at the No. 9 position. In the league, he has recorded nine goals and four assists over 24 matches.

Keeping Brazilian striker Clayton quiet will be the top priority for Benfica’s defence. Clayton is well known among Portuguese football fans from his days with Casa Pia where he the centre-forward had success. He joined Rio Ave this summer and has been a vital piece of Petit’s attacking tactics. This season, Clayton has scored 12 goals and recorded two assists in the Primeira Liga.