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Sporting Lisbon and Rio Ave return to action in the Taca de Portugal when they square off in the first leg of their semi-final clash on Thursday. Having failed to win the last 10 meetings between the two teams, Petit’s men will visit the Estadio Jose Alvalade looking to get one over the hosts and place one foot in the final.
Sporting Lisbon maintained their three-point lead at the top of the Portuguese Primeira Liga table as they cruised to a 3-0 victory over 10-man Estrela Amadora last Saturday.
Rui Borges’ side have now won four games on the trot across all competitions, scoring 13 goals and keeping two clean sheets since a 2-2 draw against AVS on February 23.
Sporting Lisbon now turn their focus to the Taca de Portugal, where they kicked off their quest for an 18th title with an emphatic 6-0 win over Amarante before knocking out Santa Clara and Gil Vicente respectively.
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Rio Ave, on the other hand, were left empty-handed yet again in the league as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Casa Pia at the Estadio Municipal de Rio Maior last time out.
Petit’s men have now lost three games on the spin and have failed to win six of their last seven outings, losing four and claiming two draws since the first week of February.
While Rio Ave have struggled for results in the league, they return to action in the cup, where they are on a fairytale run, brushing aside Atletico CP, Alverca, Casa Pia and Sao Joao Ver en route to the semis.
Sporting Lisbon vs Rio Ave Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- With 28 wins from the last 45 meetings between the sides, Sporting Lisbon boast a clear upper hand in the history of this fixture.
- Rio Ave have picked up seven wins in that time, while the spoils have been shared on 10 occasions.
- Sporting Lisbon are on a 10-game unbeaten run against Petit’s men, claiming seven wins and three draws since a 2-1 defeat in September 2019.
- Rio Ave are on a run of three back-to-back away defeats, conceding five goals and scoring twice since February’s 1-1 draw at Arouca.
- Sporting have lost just one of their last seven home games across all competitions while picking up four wins and two draws since late January.
Sporting Lisbon vs Rio Ave Prediction
Sporting Lisbon are on a solid run of four consecutive victories across all competitions and will be backing themselves to keep the ball rolling in the cup on Thursday.
Borges’ side take on an out-of-sorts Rio Ave side and we are backing them to extend their dominance in this fixture.
Prediction: Sporting Lisbon 3-0 Rio Ave
Sporting Lisbon vs Rio Ave Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Sporting Lisbon to win
Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have been at least three goals scored in five of Sporting’s last six games)
Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards - Yes (There have also been five or more bookings in five of the hosts’ last six matches)
