Sporting CP v Rio Ave: title push meets draw-heavy visitors | OneFootball

Sporting CP host Rio Ave in Liga Portugal on Sunday at Estádio José Alvalade in Lisboa, with the hosts second in the table and the visitors 12th seeking a mid-season lift.

Sporting CP beat Rio Ave in both legs of last season's Taça de Portugal semi-finals and have dominated the recent head-to-head, winning 68% of the meetings listed.

The hosts are unbeaten in their last five league games, including a 6-0 home win over AVS and a 4-1 victory at Vitória S.C. The visitors have one win in five league outings, drawing three, most recently 2-2 at Gil Vicente.

Leões list Nuno Santos, Jerry St. Juste and Daniel Bragança as injured.

Leões average 2.8 goals per game and concede 0.5, with 62% possession, 87.30% pass accuracy and eight clean sheets this league season. Luis Suárez has 11 Liga goals, supported by Pedro Gonçalves on nine. Rio Ave have scored 19 and conceded 24, averaging 46% of the ball. Clayton leads their scoring with 10, while André Luiz has contributed five goals and five assists. The hosts' crossing output and seven headed goals suggest aerial supply could prove decisive, while the visitors may look to stay compact and strike through their front line.

A win would move Leões to 41 points and could tighten their grip on the Champions League qualification spots in the title race. Rio Ave would reach 20 points with victory and could climb from 12th towards mid-table security.