Feirense vs Rio Ave Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Rio Ave head in to the new Primeira Liga season having seen their European hopes come and go this term. The hosts were luckily dropped in to the Europa League, after cup winners Aves weren’t registered for UEFA competition. That left Rio Ave with a chance of progressing in Europe, but a 5-4 aggregate defeat against Jagiellonia Bialystok put them out of the Europa League. That loss was a blow, but those two legs should leave Rio Ave in better shape ahead of the new league season getting under way.

The visitors were impressive as they claimed a top five finish last season. When you think of the quality in Portugal’s big three, and the impressive displays from Braga last term, there’s a lot of credit due for the surprise package of the 2017/18 campaign. They’ll be looking to record another high finish this time around, and getting off to a good start in this visit would be huge for the visitors. They had a mixed away record last time around, and improving on that is the best way for them to surpass their displays from last season.

The hosts narrowly avoided the drop last term, and they’ve got to be worried about another survival scrap this term. They’re going to be in the mix, and a poor run of form through preseason is a worry. They’ve failed to win in their final four friendlies ahead of the season, while they narrowly beat Leixoes in the cup ahead of this clash. Conceding two goals in that 3-2 win is a worry for a defence who conceded in almost three-quarters of their matches last term, and their return to face top flight opposition might not end too well.

Among those friendlies was a 1-0 defeat to Rio Ave. The visitors won that clash in a run which saw them win three of four friendly clashes, ahead of their Europa League tie. They hit four goals at home in their last Europa League game, and they’ll be hoping to build on that good attacking form. They certainly pushed on from that result last weekend, as they won 2-0 at Portimonense in an all top flight cup clash.

With the visitors boasting a good record against Rio Ave, we think they’ll get a result this weekend. Feirense lost 62% of their league matches last year, while they failed to win in 65% of their home games. We think favouring Rio Ave is the best way to go when comparing their form, so we’re backing the visitors on the Draw No Bet market.