Liga Portugal
Rio Ave - Sporting CP
08/28/2026, 07:15 PM
Expected Goals
0.9
2.7
1.8
1:1
12%0:2
11%1:2
10%0:3
7%1:3
6%What influences the xG?
Rio Ave
Sporting CP
The Lab
- 1Sporting CP: 6 of 12 goals conceded from minute 76 onwards (last 12 games)
- 2Sporting CP: first goal in 8 of 11 games (73%)
- 3Rio Ave: 38% of all goals between minutes 46-60 (5 of 13)
- 4Rio Ave: 2.7 cards per game (27 yellows, 3 reds in 11 games)
Model Probabilities
Match Result
Home Win
16%
Draw
25%
Away Win
59%
Goals
Over 1.5
77%
Under 1.5
23%
Over 2.5
51%
Under 2.5
49%
Over 3.5
29%
Under 3.5
71%
Double Chance
Home or Draw
41%
Away or Draw
84%
No Draw
75%
Both Score
Yes
51%
No
49%
Key Factors
- Matchup advantage: Sporting CP's clinical offense (season average of 2.62 goals scored) meets Rio Ave's vulnerable defense conceding 1.68 goals per game
- Possession dominance: Sporting CP controlled recent matches with 62% average possession and averaged 3.0 goals per game recently
- Clear model prediction: The mathematical forecast estimates a 59% win probability for the away side and expects 1.85 goals for Sporting
Risk Factors
- Home defensive vulnerability: Rio Ave concedes an average of 1.71 goals in home matches
- Offensive stagnation: Rio Ave's goal scoring stalled recently, averaging only 0.8 goals per match
- Missing key player: Sporting CP will be without the prolific P. Pereira Gonçalves due to injury
Overview
Rio Ave host Sporting CP at the Estádio do Rio Ave Futebol Clube
Liga Portugal match on August 28, 2026, 8:15 PM
Second-placed Sporting CP travel as clear favorites to tenth-placed Rio Ave
Sporting CP have 7 points on their account, while Rio Ave stand at 3 points after 3 games
Form
Sporting CP are in strong shape with 4 wins and 1 draw from their last 5 matches
Rio Ave show unstable form with only 1 win and 3 defeats
Recently Rio Ave celebrated a 2-0 win against Estoril, while Sporting CP defeated Alverca 3-1
Home team form code: LDLLW
Away team form code: WWDWW
W = Win, D = Draw, L = Loss
Statistics
Sporting CP present an outstanding offense averaging 2.62 goals scored per game this season
Rio Ave score only 1.03 goals on average and concede 1.68 goals defensively per match
In home games Rio Ave concede 1.71 goals on average
Sporting CP conceded only 0.87 goals on average in away matches
Head-to-Head
Sporting CP dominated the last 4 head-to-head matches with 4 wins
The goal ratio in these games is a clear 14-2 for the visitors
The last meeting ended with a clear 4-1 away victory for Sporting CP
Key Players
Jalen Blesa is Rio Ave's most dangerous attacker with 7 goals this season and a 7.04 rating
Diogo Bezerra contributed 1 goal and 2 assists this season
Tamble Monteiro shows rising form with 1 goal and 1 assist in his last 5 matches
Luis Suárez is Sporting's top threat with outstanding 28 goals and 6 assists this season
Maxi Araújo convinces with 5 goals, 4 assists and a strong season average of 7.11
Flávio Gonçalves scored 1 goal in his 3 appearances this season
Goalkeepers
Ennio Van Der Gouw played 10 games for Rio Ave, achieving an average rating of 6.87
Rui Silva completed 32 matches for Sporting CP with a season average rating of 6.94 and contributed to 5 away clean sheets
Influences
The game will be played on grass at the Estádio do Rio Ave Futebol Clube
Stadium statistics show an average of 2.8 total goals per game with an Over 2.5 rate of 60%