Our prediction for this Portugal Primeira Liga match:
Benfica
Match Time & Date:
14/01/2024
10:00 AM
Prediction: 2-0
Rio Ave
Benfica will be aiming to extend their winning run in Primeira Liga when they welcome Rio Ave to their Estadio da Luz on Matchday 17. The Eagles are eager to put an extra pressure on league leaders Sporting and we are positive that they will adopt an attack-oriented approach against Luis Freire’s troops. All Juan Bernat, Casper Tengstedt, and David Neres continue to miss out with injuries, but Roger Schmidt still has a number of high-profile players to choose from.
The visitors, on the other hand, have been struggling on the travels this season. Rio Ave have yet to record a win on the road and given Benfica’s fine form, anything but a routine home victory would be a big surprise. There are no fresh injury worries in the away team ahead of the trip to Lisbon. In their last meeting in the “City of Seven Hills” Benfica defeated Rio Ave 4-2 and we predict that history is going to repeat itself.
Highlighted Player (Angel di Maria):
Angel Di Maria is a professional footballer who played for Argentine side Rosario Central at the start of his senior career. The left-footed winger is very quick on the ball and he often makes life difficult for opposition defenders. After playing for Benfica between 2007 and 2010, the Argentine superstar signed for Real Madrid on 28 June, 2010 for a fee of €25 million + €11 million in bonuses.
Despite impressing with los Blancos in the 2013/2014 La Liga campaign, the club chiefs decided to sell him to Manchester United on 26 August, 2014. Di Maria was playing below expectations at Old Trafford and he scored three goals in 27 league games for the Red Devils.
In 2015 he moved to Paris Saint-Germain and he scored 10 goals in 29 league appearances for les Parisiens in the 2015/2016 Ligue 1 campaign. In 2014 he won the Champions League trophy with Real Madrid and that is considered the biggest success of his career. Angel Di Maria was born in Rosario on 14 February, 1988.
Highlighted Team (Rio Ave):
Nicknamed Rio Grande, Rio Ave are a Portuguese club that compete in Primeira Liga. Rio Ave were founded back in 1939 and they welcome their rivals at Estadio dos Arcos, the stadium which can hold up to 12,815 people.
The team’s home shirt is green with white stripes, whilst the colour of their shorts is green. Rio Ave wear white shirts and white shorts when playing on the travels. The club’s biggest success came in the 2014/2015 season when they represented Portugal in the Europa League group stages. Rio Ave finished the process in the last position in Group J, but they did well to record their first ever win in the competition, with the team beating Danish club Aalborg 2-0 at their Estadio do Rio Ave Futebol Clube.
Former Real Madrid full-back Fabio Coentrao is considered one of the club’s most notable footballers. Manchester City first-choice goalkeeper Ederson played for Rio Ave in the past as well.
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