Primeira Liga | Gameweek 9

Oct 27, 2024 at 6pm UK

Estadio Universitario de Lisboa

Benfica vs Rio Ave

Match preview

Benfica's perfect record in the Champions League came to an end on Wednesday when they lost 3-1 to Eredivisie side Feyenoord in a match at the Estadio da Luz.

Ayase Ueda and Antoni Milambo both scored, giving Feyenoord a comfortable lead at halftime. After Kerem Akturkoglu scored for the hosts in the 66th minute, Milambo scored his second in stoppage time to put an end to any late comeback hopes.

Before that, Benfica started the Champions League with a 2-1 win against Red Star Belgrade on September 19. That was two weeks before they beat Atlético Madrid 4-0 at home.

Bruno Lage's team now has its sights set on the Primeira Liga. They've won three games in a row and haven't lost any of their last six matches. They've scored 17 goals and kept three clean sheets since losing 2-0 to Famalicao on the opening weekend in August.

As Aguias finished second last season, they've picked up 16 points from their first eight games this season, putting them in fourth place in the standings, eight points behind league leaders Sporting Lisbon.

Benfica is looking to get back on the winning track this weekend when they take on an opponent against whom they've been unbeaten in each of their 13 clashes, with 12 wins and one draw since a 3-2 extra-time defeat in the Taca de Portugal back in December 2017.

Rio Ave had a bit of a lucky escape in their first game of the 2024-25 Taca de Portugal, beating Atletico CP 3-1 after extra time at the Estadio da Tapadinha last Saturday.

Pedro Pinto evened the score in the 84th minute, cancelling out Fabio Ronaldo's first-half strike, and took Atlético into extra time. However, Aderllan Santos and Ahmed Mahgoub scored quick-fire goals to send the visitors through to the fourth round.

Head coach Luis Freire is hoping the cup victory can help turn things around in the Primeira Liga, where they've had a rough run of it lately, losing twice and drawing twice since a 1-0 victory over Arouca on September 1.

Rio Ave has only managed to win two of their eight league games so far, losing four and drawing two. This has left them in 12th place in the table with eight points. However, they could move level with eighth-placed Moreirense with all three points this weekend.

Vilacondenses will be looking to build on their performance in the Taca de Portugal when they visit Estadio José Alvalade. Sporting Lisbon have won all 14 of their league games since the turn of the year there.

Rio Ave haven't been doing too well on the road either. They've lost six and drawn eight of their 14 Primeira Liga away games this year.

Recent Performance

Benfica Primeira Liga form:WWDWWW

Benfica form (all competitions):WWWWWL

Rio Ave Primeira Liga form:LWLDLD

Rio Ave form (all competitions):WLDLDW

Team News

Benfica will be without 23-year-old forward Tiago Gouveia, who has missed the last eight games since picking up a shoulder injury against Estrela on August 24.

He's joined on the As Aguias injury list by teenage forward Gianluca Prestianni, who's set to miss his third straight game due to an ankle injury.

Leandro Barreiro is out for this weekend's game after picking up a thigh problem in the cup win over Pevidem. The 24-year-old midfielder missed the midweek loss against Feyenoord for the same reason.

Meanwhile, Rio Ave is still without Anxhelo Sina, who hasn't made his debut since moving from Olympiacos. He's still out with an injury.

Marios Vrousai got a straight red card in the second half of the midweek cup match against Atlético, so the Greek midfielder will be sitting out this weekend's clash because of a one-game suspension.

Possible starting lineups

Benfica possible starting lineup:

Trubin; Bah, Araujo, Otamendi, Carreras; Aursnes, Luis; Di Maria, Kokcu, Akturkoglu; Pavlidis

Rio Ave possible starting lineup:

Jhonatan; Panzo, Santos, William; Novais, Oudrhiri, Neto, Richards; Bondoso, Clayton, Aguilera