Rio Ave FC vs Sporting CP: Preview, Odds, Form Guide and Players to Watch (January 18)

Sporting CP will travel to Vila do Conde to take on Rio Ave FC this weekend as they look to preserve their slender lead at the top of the table. With FC Porto and SL Benfica within striking distance, Saturday’s encounter takes on added significance for a Lions side that has managed just five points from their last three Primeira Liga matches, and recently lost the Taça da Liga final in agonising fashion.

Rio Ave will be bullish coming into the Jornada 18 clash after securing four points from the previous two league matches. Former seleção star Petit, who took charge of the club in November, has built a well organised side that remains in contention for a European position at the halfway stage of the season.

Preview

After a remarkable start to the 2024-25 campaign, Sporting have faltered of late. Os Verde e brancos won their first 11 matches before suffering humbling defeats to Santa Clara and Moreirense. Sporting have managed just eight points from their last six league fixtures, but remain one-point ahead of Porto at the top of the table after a stellar run in August, September and October. 

After successful stints with Moreirense and Vitória, there were high expectations for 43-year-old manager Rui Borges when he signed for Sporting last month. Borges has been tasked with leading a Primeira Liga title defense, and knows that anything short of three points this weekend at the Estádio dos Arcos will only intensify the pressure on his coaching staff and players. 

Borges is Sporting’s third manager this season. The temptation of joining English giants Manchester United was too strong for Ruben Amorim to resist. Following his departure, the club turned to João Pereira. After managing just three victories over eight matches, Sporting parted ways with Pereira and acted swiftly to sign Borges from Vitória de Guimarães. 

Since taking charge, Borges has managed four points from his first two league matches, which included a Dérbi de Lisboa victory over Benfica and a thrilling 4-4 draw against his former club Vitória. 

Sporting are coming off a painful Taça da Liga defeat at the hands of Benfica, with Portuguese international Trincão missing the only penalty in a 7-8 shootout defeat that cost Sporting their first trophy of the campaign. 

Sporting’s early season success has been built on a flowing brand of football and a dynamic group of attackers. The club lead the league with 48 goals over their first 17 matches, an average of 2.82 goals per game. Trincão, Conrad Harder, Geny Catamo and Geovany Quenda have all contributed, but Viktor Gyökeres remains the key figure for Sporting. The Swedish striker has been sensational, scoring an incredible 32 goals in all competitions, with 21 of them coming in the league. 

One noteworthy point is that Gyökeres is dealing with a muscle problem and is doubtful for Saturday’s game. The forward has not been ruled out but could be sidelined as a precaution, especially with Sporting set to face RB Leipzig in the Champion League on Wednesday. 

Rio Ave are off to a solid start with 20 points from their first 17 games. The Vila do Conde club are currently 10th in the standings and a win over the Portuguese champions could see them jump as high as 8th. In the league, Rio Ave has secured five wins, five draws and seven losses. They have scored 18 goals and conceded 28 over 17 matches. The club are yet to lose at home, winning four games and drawing four.

The arrival of manager Petit has brought with it a new-found optimism around the club. Petit was known as a no-nonsense central midfielder during his playing days and has transferred that same mentality to his current crop of players. The 48-year-old did a fantastic job with FC Boavista on a shoestring budget, and will be aiming to lead Rio Ave to their first top six finish since 2020. 

Unlike Sporting, Rio Ave have not had to deal with a littered fixture list that includes European football. The club, however, is coming off an impressive 3-1 win against Casa Pia AC in the Taça de Portugal. Following their qualification to the quarterfinal, Petit went so far as to speak about "the dream” of winning the cup. The club will face Liga 3 side SC São João de Ver in the next round, and a win would give them a realistic chance at the club’s first-ever cup title.  

Goals have been difficult to come by for Petit’s side with the club managing just 18 over their first 17 league games, equating to 1.05 goals per game. The squad has relied heavily on Brazilian striker Clayton to provide the goals, and will need attackers like Brandon Aguilera and Kiko Bondoso to step up if they hope to have any chance of upsetting a talented Sporting team.

Odds

Rio Ave 9.25, Sporting 1.26, Draw 5.50

Over 3.5 total goals: 2.10, Under 3.5 goals: 1.50

*All odds provided from Betano.pt. Odds are subject to change prior to kick off.

Form Guide (All Competitions)

Rio Ave: 

Sporting:

Head-to-head Record

Sporting and Rio Ave have already met once this season with Sporting winning the earlier fixture at the Estádio José Alvalade 3-1. 

Historically, Sporting have held the advantage in the tie. The two sides have faced off on 69 occasions in all competitions with Rio Ave winning 9 (13.1%), Sporting winning 43 (62.3%) and 17 draws (24.6%). In the league, Rio Ave have won just 6 times in their 59 meetings with Sporting taking all three points 28 times. 
Over the last five games between the two teams, Sporting have won four and drawn one. The two sides were involved in a thrilling 3-3 encounter last season at the Estádio dos Arcos. Rio Ave held 1-0 and 3-2 leads and were ahead for a large portion of the match before a 73rd minute goal from Sebastian Coates earned a point for the Lisbon club.

Players to Watch 

The addition of forward Clayton during the summer has provided some much needed firepoer to a Rio Ave squad that scored just 38 goals in the league last season. Clayton spent the 2023-24 campaign with Primeira Liga side Casa Pia, finishing with 12 goals in all competitions. The talented Brazilian is on pace to double that figure this season with 11 goals in his first 20 matches. 

Clayton is averaging a league goal every 162  minutes. He ranks third in the league with nine goals, behind only Viktor Gyökeres and Samu Aghehowa. 

Viktor Gyökeres remains the headline name among a talented group of Sporting players, but there are concerns about his fitness coming into Saturday’s fixture. Gyökeres has already amassed 32 goals in all competitions and is averaging over a goal per game. He leads all the Primera Liga with 21 goals in 17 matches, averaging a goal every 72 minutes.

If Gyökeres does not start the match, keep an eye on young wingers Geny Catamo and Geovany Quenda. Catamo, 23, broke into the side last season and already has four goals and four assists to his name. Quenda, 17, known for his quickness and footwork, has already made 30 appearances this season, and has firmly established himself as the team’s starting right winger.