Porto vs Rio Ave prediction, preview, team news and more | Taca de Liga 2021-22

Porto invite Rio Ave in their second fixture of the Taca de Liga group stage on Wednesday.

The hosts have been eliminated from the competition as they suffered a 3-1 defeat against Santa Clara in their opening fixture in October.

Rio Ave have a narrow chance of making it into the next round only if they defeat the Portuguese Primeira Liga leaders here. They played out a 2-2 draw against Santa Clara in September.

Porto recorded their ninth consecutive win in the league as they overcame Braga 1-0 at Wednesday's venue. Rio Ave faced their second consecutive defeat in Liga Pro as Mafra secured a comeback 2-1 win on Saturday.

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Porto vs Rio Ave Head-to-Head

There have been 46 meetings between the two sides so far since 1996. Porto have dominated the fixture and have 34 wins to their name while the visiting side have just one win against the Primeira Liga giants.

The spoils have been shared 11 times between the two sides here. They last squared off at Estadio dos Arcos in May. Three second-half goals ensured a 3-0 win for Dragões.

Porto form guide (all competitions): W-L-W-W-L

Rio Ave form guide (all competitions): L-L-W-W-W

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Porto vs Rio Ave Team News

Porto

Ivan Marcano continues to be sidelined with a foot injury and won't be making an appearance here. Here are the rest of the absentees for the hosts:

• Claudio Ramos - Back injury

Injured: Ivan Marcano

Doubtful: Claudio Ramos

Suspended: None

RIo Ave

Junio has not made an appearance for Vilacondenses on account of a leg injury and is a doubt for this game as well.

Injury: Junio

Suspension: None

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Porto vs Rio Ave Predicted XI

Porto Predicted XI (4-4-2): Diogo Costa; Zaid Sanusi, Chancel Mbemba, Fabio Cardoso, Wilson Manafa; Otavio, Sergio Oliviera, Mateus Uribe, Luis Diaz; Mehdi Taremi, Evanilson

Rio Ave Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Jhonatan; Pedro Amaral, Hugo Domingos Gomes, Aderlan Leandro de Jesus Santos, Costinha; Vítor Gomes, Rúben Gonçalves; Joca, Gabrielzinho, Guga; Pedro Mendes

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Porto vs Rio Ave Prediction

Porto suffered a shock 3-1 loss against Santa Clara in their opening fixture of the Taca de Liga, but have been in great form since that loss in the Portuguese top-flight.

Rio Ave need a win here but have lost two games in a row and might struggle against the hosts, who have been beaten just once by the visitors. A win for Porto is the most likely outcome from the game.

Prediction: Porto 2-0 Rio Ave