Rio Ave vs Porto

On Monday Porto attempts to stop Sporting Lisbon from extending their lead at the top of the Primeira Liga standings through a match at Estadio do Rio Ave Futebol Clube against Rio Ave who currently sit at position 11.

Rio Ave leads with 23 points after winning their previous game against Farense as Porto draws 1-1 against Santa Clara and stays in third position with 41 points behind leaders Sporting Lisbon who have 47 points.

During their tight contest against Farense Rio Ave achieved 1.38 non-penalty xG while their opponents managed 1.28 non-penalty xG.

Head coach Armando Goncalves Teixeira took charge in November 7 and secured six wins across his first 11 games leading the team which matched the total number of wins from their previous 25 matches.

For their rematch with Porto on December 8 the Vilacondenses plans to produce superior results than in their initial matchup on August 24 when they failed to shoot on goal while allowing Porto seven big chances for two goals.

Rio Ave demonstrates solid overall league performance through their three victories and one draw followed by only one defeat in their last five matches together with two wins from their last four Primeira Liga games.

The hosts from Rio Ave Futebol Clube have maintained a strong defensive record at their stadium since they lost to Sporting Lisbon on January 18 in their 21 matches.

Porto managed only 0.04 expected goals while facing one shots on target and one penalty area attempt throughout their match against Santa Clara until Otavio scored an equalizer in the 76th minute to salvage a draw despite landing behind since the 33rd minute.

Given that his club has only scored three goals in their last six games and failed to score three more, interim manager Jose Tavares will surely be concerned by his team's attacking performances in recent weeks.

After defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv 1-0 on Thursday in the Europa League, the Dragons advanced to the round of 16 playoffs, where they will face Roma in a two-leg match later in February.

Porto's victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv also marked their first clean sheet in six matches. Despite conceding 15 goals in the Primeira Liga—just one more than Sporting Lisbon and Benfica—they still hold the third-best defensive record in the league.

Meanwhile, Tavares's squad is struggling, having suffered four defeats in their last six games, with only one win and one draw during that period.

Their away performances have also been underwhelming, losing six of their last 10 matches on the road and securing victory in just two.