Braga vs Rio Ave Match Preview

Braga face Rio Ave for the 10th round of the Portuguese Primeira Liga at Estádio Municipal de Braga.

The hosts come from a big 3-1 win over Estoril in the previous round of the League Cup. They were far better on the pitch and playing as the current title holders, managed to prevail with their superiority and qualify in the semi-finals of the competition. In the previous round of the domestic league, they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Belenenses on the road. They remain at the 4th spot of the table with a total of 18 points. Additionally, they have qualified for the last 32 of the Europa League, where they will face Roma next February. 

Paulinio continues his excellent form and scores with ease. No significant missings are reported f or the hosts in tonight's match.

On the other hand, Rio Ave comes from a goalless draw against Boavista at home. In the previous round of the league cup, they managed to take the qualification ticket by winning 2-1 over Famalicao. However, they keep struggling on their attack as they have only scored a total of 5 goals in the last 9 rounds of the league. After this outcome, the visitors are ranked 9th in the table. It is more than clear that Mario Silva's team have to change many things around to climb up the ranks.

Braga is currently in great shape and scores with ease, while Rio faces a lot of problems on the attack. The hosts are deservedly the big favorites to win here. I expect Braga to win in this one and cover the -1,5 line of the Asian Handicap.