The Rio Ave & Sporting Braga managers C. Soares da Costa Faria Carvalhal and M. Martins Sequeira are both dreading and looking forward to this decisive game in the upper regions of the Primeira Liga league table.
Rio Ave form and stats
Rio Ave have played 12 Primeira Liga games at their own stadium so far this season, resulting in 4-5-3 (wins-draws-losses). The home fans are hungry for more even though Rio Ave have been steadily collecting points here at Estádio do Rio Futebol Clube through three straight draws.
Rio shared the glory with Porto in their last match, an away game that ended all square 1-1. The spoils were shared after 90 minutes before that, a home game that ended 0-0 versus Belenenses.
Rio Ave has scored 16 league goals at home this season, in 12 matches. On the other hand, Rio have conceded 12 goals.
Sporting Braga form and stats
Playing away, Sporting Braga have won 7 games, drawn 1 and suffered 4 defeats in the Primeira Liga this season. Things are running smoothly for Sporting Braga who hasn't tasted defeat in their last ten matches, regardless of venue and tournament. Their last defeat was against Pacos de Ferreira. Long winning streaks away are a rare occurrence in football, which only makes Braga's record of five away victories in a row even more impressive. They last lost points away in the Desportivo Aves game.
Francisco Trincão and Ricardo Horta scored in Sporting Braga's previous match, the home game against Portimonense that ended 3-1. Preceding that game was the away victory against Maritimo with the score of 2-1.
The 3-1 victory against Portimonense could easily have been bigger as the victors made a valiant effort at breaking the goal posts, hitting them three times.
A new game in only four days for Braga, the Primeira Liga home match versus Desportivo Aves. Busy days.
Braga are not goal shy away from home in the league, finding the net 19 times in 12 away games so far. They concede less than a goal on average per away game (11 so far).
Head 2 Head
The last H2H meeting was Sporting Braga - Rio Ave 2-0, played this season. Rio Ave-Sporting Braga H2H statistics last ten meetings regardless of arena: Rio Ave four wins, Sporting Braga three wins, three draws. three of these ten matches had three or more goals (over 2,5).Top Goalscorers
  J. Dias Fernandes 9 goals |   M. Taremi 8 goals |  R. Horta 7 goals |
Rio Ave missing players
Sporting Braga missing players
| Rio Ave | Sporting Braga | ||||||
| Total | Home | vs | Statistics | Stat | vs | Away | Total |
| 24 | 12 | 3 | Played | P | 4 | 12 | 24 |
| 10 | 4 | 0 | Won | W | 3 | 7 | 14 |
| 8 | 5 | 2 | Drew | D | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | 3 | 1 | Lost | L | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| 32 | 16 | 2 | Scored | S | 6 | 19 | 41 |
| 23 | 12 | 3 | Conceded | C | 3 | 11 | 26 |
| 92% | 92% | 100% | Over 0.5 | O 0.5 | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| 67% | 58% | 67% | Over 1.5 | O 1.5 | 75% | 67% | 75% |
| 29% | 25% | 0% | Over 2.5 | O 2.5 | 50% | 42% | 54% |
| 21% | 25% | 0% | Over 3.5 | O 3.5 | 0% | 8% | 33% |
| 12% | 17% | 0% | Over 4.5 | O 4.5 | 0% | 8% | 4% |
| 46% | 50% | 67% | BTTS | BTTS | 50% | 50% | 54% |
| 33% | 33% | 0% | Clean Sheets | C S | 50% | 25% | 25% |
| 29% | 25% | 33% | Failed to Score | F T | 0% | 25% | 21% |
| 4.7 | 6.4 | 4.7 | Corners for (avg) | C F | 5 | 6.1 | 6.5 |
| 4.7 | 3.6 | 5 | Corners against (avg) | C A | 6.5 | 4.1 | 4.2 |
| 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.7 | Yellow cards (avg) | Y C | 4.8 | 3.6 | 2.9 |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | Red cards | R C | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 246 | 142 | 29 | Total Shots | T S | 50 | 176 | 400 |
| 74 | 45 | 9 | Shots on Target | S O | 22 | 65 | 146 |
| 43% | 36% | 22% | Goal Efficiency | G E | 27% | 29% | 28% |
- Rio Ave has the most matches under the total-line (17)
- Rio Ave have won significantly more corners at home than away.
- Sporting Braga haven’t played a single 0-0 game.
| Total | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||||
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | P |
| 1 | Porto | 24 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 50 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 10 | 34 | 60 |
| 2 | Benfica | 24 | 19 | 2 | 3 | 52 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 28 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 7 | 38 | 59 |
| 3 | Sporting Braga | 24 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 41 | 26 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 11 | 15 | 46 |
| 4 | Sporting CP | 24 | 13 | 3 | 8 | 37 | 26 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 12 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 42 |
| 5 | Rio Ave | 24 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 32 | 23 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 38 |
| 6 | Vitoria Guimaraes | 24 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 40 | 25 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 15 | 15 | 37 |
| 7 | Famalicao | 24 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 38 | 40 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 21 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 19 | -2 | 37 |
| 8 | Moreirense | 24 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 34 | 32 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 15 | 12 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 17 | 2 | 30 |
| 9 | Santa Clara | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 19 | 26 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 11 | -7 | 30 |
| 10 | Gil Vicente | 24 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 25 | 29 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 16 | -4 | 30 |
| 11 | Boavista | 24 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 23 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | -4 | 29 |
| 12 | Vitoria Setubal | 24 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 17 | 27 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 16 | -10 | 28 |
| 13 | Belenenses | 24 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 19 | 38 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 19 | -19 | 26 |
| 14 | Tondela | 24 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 20 | 30 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 15 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 15 | -10 | 25 |
| 15 | Maritimo | 24 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 16 | -10 | 24 |
| 16 | Pacos de Ferreira | 24 | 6 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 34 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 20 | -16 | 22 |
| 17 | Portimonense | 24 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 34 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 22 | -18 | 16 |
| 18 | Desportivo Aves | 24 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 23 | 47 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 11 | 19 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 12 | 28 | -24 | 13 |