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In their first home game of the new Primeira Liga campaign, Sporting will invite Rio Ave to the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Saturday.
The hosts dropped points in their campaign opener in a six-goal thriller against Braga, who forced a share of the spoilts, thanks to Abel Ruiz's 88th-minute equaliser.
Ave, meanwhile, are back in the Portuguese top flight after an year's absence, winning the LigaPro last season. They kicked off their new league campaign with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Vizela at home on Saturday.
Sporting vs Rio Ave Head-to-Head
Sporting have locked horns with Rio Ave 60 times across competitions. As expected, they have been the better team in this fixture, enjoying a 37-8 lead in wins, while 15 games have ended in draws.
Leoes are winless in their last two games at home against Ave, with the last meeting between the two teams at Saturday's venue ending in a 1-1 draw. They did record a 2-0 away win when the two teams last met in the league in 2021.
Sporting form guide (all competitions): D-D-L-L-W.
Rio Ave form guide (all competitions): L-W-L-D-W
Sporting vs Rio Ave Team News
Sporting
Daniel Braganca is the only absentee, as he recently underwent knee surgery and faces significant time on the sidelines.
Injured: Daniel Braganca.
Suspended: None.
Doubtful: None.
Unavailable: None.
Rio Ave
The visitors will travel to Lisbon with a clean bill of health.
Injured: None.
Suspended: None.
Doubtful: None.
Unavailable: None.
Sporting vs Rio Ave Predicted XIs
Sporting CP (3-4-2-1): Antonio Adan (GK); Goncalo Inacio, Sebastian Coates, Matheus Reis; Pedro Porro, Matheus Nunes, Nuno Santos, Hidemasa Morita; Francisco Trincao, Pedro Goncalves; Paulinho.
Rio Ave (3-4-3): Jhonatan (GK); Pedro Amaral, Aderllan Santos, Miguel Nobrega; Costinha, Vítor Gomes, Guga, Paulo Vitor; Joca, Abdul-Aziz Yakubu, Andre Pereira.
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Sporting vs Rio Ave Prediction
Sporting lost just two games in the Primeira Liga at home last season and are the favorites in a league game at Jose Alvalade.
Ave, meanwhile, have only returned to the top flight and might need some time to get going. Like the two other promoted teams, they also failed to open their account in their first game of the campaign.
This game should end in a straightforward win for the Lisbon giants.
Prediction: Sporting 2-0 Rio Ave.
