FC Porto and Aves SAD in high spirits for a league clash of extremes | 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 team from Vila das Aves gone four consecutive matches unbeaten this season.

First, Aves SAD collected 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: winning away for the first time and avoiding the worst-ever finish by a team in a 34-match Liga season since wins began to be worth three points.

João Henriques’s side reached 17 points, overtaking Penafiel of 2005/06, who finished with 15. It is also curious to note how, even after already being relegated, the Aves club continues to inspire 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 return to bottom place.

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

FC Porto and Aves SAD — in completely different circumstances, 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.