Preview:Arouca vs Rio Ave - prediction, team news, lineups

Looking to recover from their heavy defeat on matchday two, Arouca welcome Rio Ave to Estadio Municipal de Arouca on Saturday for round three of the Primeira Liga.

The Lobos were dismantled 6-0 by defending champions Sporting Lisbon last weekend, leaving them with three points from their opening two league fixtures.

Match preview

Arouca, who secured a 12th-place finish last season, entered this campaign hoping to push higher up the table, and they got off to the perfect start with a 3-1 victory at home against AVS.

However, their momentum came crashing down in Lisbon – after conceding early, Vasco Seabra’s side were reduced to 10 men when Dylan Nandin was dismissed for a reckless high boot.

Sporting converted the resulting penalty and added another before half time, with three more goals arriving after the interval to hand Arouca a humbling defeat.

Seabra’s men now seek redemption, though recent history offers little encouragement, with Arouca having failed to beat Rio Ave in their last five encounters across all competitions, drawing 1-1 at home last season after a 2-1 away defeat.

Still, their home form provides a glimmer of hope, with three wins and a draw from their last four outings at Estadio Municipal dating back to last season.

Rio Ave, meanwhile, saw their scheduled opening-day clash with Benfica postponed, meaning their league campaign only began last weekend.

Hosting Nacional, the Vilacondenses took an early lead and gained a man advantage before half time, but squandered their dominance and conceded an equaliser late on to settle for a 1-1 draw.

New manager Sotiris Silaidopoulos now takes charge of his first away fixture, aiming to build on his side’s three-match unbeaten league run at Arouca (two draws and one win).

Yet, their away record remains troubling, with just one victory on the road in all competitions since February, alongside five defeats and two draws.

Arouca Primeira Liga form:

Arouca form (all competitions):

Rio Ave Primeira Liga form:

Rio Ave form (all competitions):

Team News

Arouca will be without top striker Nandin, who is suspended following his red card against Sporting.

Uruguayan winger Alfonso Trezza, who scored twice in their opening-day win, will again carry much of the attacking burden.

Rio Ave arrive with a clean bill of health and are expected to retain their three-man backline that they are accustomed to.

Clayton, who netted the team’s first goal of the season, should lead the attack, supported by Andre Luiz and Ole Pohlmann.

Arouca possible starting lineup:

Valido; Dante, Fontan, Popovic, Pinto; Fukui, Santos; Djouahra, Hyun-Ju, Trezza; Nandin

Rio Ave possible starting lineup:

Miszta; Panzo, Ntoi, Abbey; Athanasiou, Aguilera, Bakoulas, Vrousai; Pohlmann, Clayton, Luiz

We say: Arouca 1-1 Rio Ave

Arouca vs Rio Ave is shaping up to be a closely contested match, with neither side expected to give much away as their encounters have often gone in recent years.

With both teams evenly matched and struggling to find a consistent attacking edge, a balanced draw looks the most likely outcome, possibly ending in a low-scoring stalemate.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.