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Porto make their first away trip of the new Primeira Liga season on Saturday when they travel to Estadio dos Arcos to face Rio Ave, with the champions looking to maintain the winning momentum generated by their opening-day victory.
Francesco Farioli's side began their title defence with a 2-0 win over Alverca last weekend, while Rio Ave suffered a late 1-0 defeat to Gil Vicente after playing the majority of the second half with 10 men.
The Dragons have already gained an early advantage over their traditional title rivals after Sporting Lisbon and Benfica both dropped points on the opening weekend, although Farioli will be aware that a difficult away assignment against a Rio Ave side that showed considerable defensive resilience last weekend presents a different challenge.
Rio Ave will be determined to respond after their narrow defeat, but their poor home record from last season leaves them facing a difficult test against Porto, who won 14 of their 17 Primeira Liga away matches during their title-winning campaign.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Rio Ave vs Porto key stats
- Porto have started the new Primeira Liga season with a clean sheet.
- Rio Ave have failed to score in their opening league match of the season.
- Porto have won the last two meetings against Rio Ave without conceding.
Rio Ave vs Porto preview: Dragons aim to make it two wins from two
Rio Ave vs Porto — Tale of the Tape
| Rio Ave | vs | Porto |
|---|---|---|
| 16th | Position | 1st |
| 0 | Points | 3 |
| 0 | Goals For | 2 |
| 1 | Goals Against | 0 |
| 0 | Clean Sheets | 1 |
| N/A | Home / Away Rank | N/A |
Porto made the ideal start to their attempt to retain the Primeira Liga title, overcoming Alverca 2-0 at Estadio do Dragao through two penalties converted by Andre Silva and Gabri Veiga.
The result was particularly valuable because both Sporting Lisbon and Benfica failed to take maximum points in their opening fixtures, meaning Porto already have an opportunity to establish an early lead over their principal challengers.
Farioli's side are attempting to win consecutive Portuguese league titles for the first time since Porto completed a three-year championship run between 2010 and 2013.
Their success last season was built largely around defensive consistency, with the Dragons keeping 21 clean sheets across their 34 league matches.
The champions also produced an outstanding record on their travels last term, winning 14 of 17 away league fixtures.
Their final away match of the campaign ended in a 3-1 defeat to relegated AVS, but that result came after Porto had already secured the title and does little to undermine what was otherwise an exceptionally strong record away from home.
Porto's opening victory also extended their positive start to competitive football under Farioli, who is now tasked with managing the demands of defending the domestic title while preparing his squad for Champions League football.
Rio Ave's opening weekend offered mixed signals for Sotiris Silaidopoulos, as the Vilacondenses defended impressively for long periods against Gil Vicente, but Andreas Ntoi's dismissal left them playing with 10 men for more than 40 minutes before an 87th-minute penalty finally settled the contest.
That performance followed an encouraging pre-season in which Rio Ave won four of their five friendlies and drew the other, so Silaidopoulos can take some confidence from the preparation despite the disappointing league opener.
The bigger concern is Rio Ave's record at Estadio dos Arcos last season, with only relegated Tondela and AVS collecting fewer points on home soil, a record that will need to improve considerably if the Vilacondenses are to avoid another difficult campaign.
Rio Ave's task is made more difficult by the quality and recent dominance of their opponents, with Porto having won 16 of the last 21 competitive meetings between the clubs, while the Dragons also recorded a 3-0 victory in the corresponding fixture last season.
Rio Ave vs Porto form guide & betting tips
| Rio Ave | vs | Porto |
|---|---|---|
L |
Form | W |
| 0 | Points | 3 |
| 16th | Form Table | 1st |
| 0 | Goals For | 2 |
| 1 | Goals Against | 0 |
W
D
W
W
L
|
Form (All Comps) | W
L
W
W
W
|
Whispers predicts: Rio Ave 0-2 Porto
Porto's defensive strength and outstanding away record from last season make them difficult to oppose against a Rio Ave side that failed to score in their opening fixture.
We predict Porto to win to nil at 2.20 (6/5), while Porto to win is priced at around 1.39 (39/100), though we expect the visitors to defend well, making Under 3.5 goals at around 1.33 (1/3) another appealing selection.
> Under 3.5 goals at 1.33 (1/3) | Likelihood: Likely
> Porto to win at 1.39 (39/100) | Likelihood: Likely
> Porto to win to nil at 2.20 (6/5) | Likelihood: Probable
> Correct score – Rio Ave 0-2 Porto at 6.50 (11/2) | Likelihood: Outsider