Rio Ave vs Maritimo – This weekend, the Portuguese Primeira Liga resumes play after the World Cup break, with the opening kickoff of Matchday No. 14 taking place on Friday night when Rio Ave hosts Maritimo.
At the beginning of the month, these two teams faced off in the Portuguese League Cup. Rio Ave performed significantly better in Group B of the competition, taking two victories in three games, although that was only enough for second place (behind Sporting Lisbon).
Maritimo failed to score a single goal in any of their three League Cup losses this month. They came into this game coming off a 5-0 loss to Sporting CP and with a pitiful goal differential of 0-8.
In the Primeira Liga, Maritimo also has the lowest defensive and offensive records. The visitors are now sitting second to worst in the Portuguese premier division with only six points after managing just one victory in 13 games this season.
This term, Rio Ave. has played with much more seriousness. They now occupy the tenth spot and entered the World Cup break riding a three-match winning streak.
As clear favorites against the faltering Maritimo team, Luis Freire’s team has won four of their last six home matches in the Primeira Liga.
Rio Ave vs Maritimo – Betting Analysis
Going into their 47th matchup against Rio Ave, Maritimo had a 6-win advantage in their head-to-head record.
As previously indicated, these two teams faced off against one another 21 days ago, with Rio Ave winning 0-1 on the road in the League Cup. In four of the previous six meetings between these clubs, there were either one or no goals scored.
Only 8 goals have been scored by Maritimo in their first 13 matches of the Primeira Liga. They also didn’t score in any of the three League Cup games they played in December.
At odds of 3.40, the smart play is Rio Ave to win by a score of zero. At 9.00 odds, we will also wager on the correct score prediction of 2-0.
Rio Ave vs Maritimo – Head-to-Head
Our Prediction: Home Win or Draw
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