Rio Ave vs Sporting CP betting tip 2024/2025 - Picks and Predictions for the Liga Portugal match on January 18th, 2025

Rio Ave and Sporting CP will face each other in a Liga Portugal game in Portugal on Saturday, January 18th, 2025, at 18:00h (UTC), check the Rio Ave vs Sporting CP betting tip 2024/2025 to win with your bets.

Stadium and City where Rio Ave vs Sporting CP will occur

The game will be played in the small Estádio do Rio Ave Futebol Clube stadium, in the city of Vila do Conde, with a capacity for 12815 spectators, that will try to help the team achieve a positive result.

Where to follow the live game

Including statistics, events and odds, you can follow the match live at Betarena, with access to all the information to help with your sports betting.

Introduction to the Rio Ave vs Sporting CP betting tip 2024/2025

The Liga Portugal has had fewer goals than the previous season. Last season the tournament had an average of 2.87 goals scored per match, while now the competition has an average of 2.57 goals per match played.

Rio Ave last match

Rio Ave comes from a win recorded in the last match played. The opponent was Casa Pia, in a match valid for Taça De Portugal, and the two teams finished the match with a score of 1-3. On the field, Petit's team lined up with a 4-2-3-1.

The odds for the home team to win before the match were 2.80, so it was logical to expect a fairly even match.

Sporting CP last match

On the other hand, the visiting team arrives at this match after a draw in the last round. In a dispute valid for Taça da Liga, Sporting CP, who used a 4-2-3-1 formation, faced the Benfica team with a final score of 1-1.

The game had all the elements to be an even game between both teams, for that reason it was logical that the draw was one of the most expected results, with odds around 3.20.

Rio Ave vs Sporting CP h2h

Rio Ave occupied 13th place when they went against Sporting CP, who was in 1st place, in their last match at Liga Portugal. Rio Ave first went in with a 3-4-2-1 formation, which was engaged by Sporting CP with a 3-4-3 deployment.

The previous meeting between these two teams was in the 2024/2025 season of the Liga Portugal. The meeting took place on 09-08-2024 and ended with a 3-1 win for Sporting CP.

Teams varying in strengths and motivations.

Rio Ave

Liga Portugal leaderboard now

Rio Ave joins this game with 20 points, having lost 7 games, winning only 5, and scoring 5 draws. The team ranks in 10th place in the Liga Portugal and suffers from a negative balance.

The team has no advantage against the Famalicão team who holds the 9th place in the 18th round.

Positioned in the middle of the league table in the Portugal Liga Portugal, Rio Ave has no high ambitions or relegation concerns. Despite this, they will try to take advantage of the home factor to get a win.

Rio Ave analysis

After 17 rounds, Rio Ave has conceded more goals than has scored. They conceded a total of 28 goals so far and scored 18 times.

Rio Ave has a ball possession average of 47.53% in the league. Therefore, they are not the team that proposes the game, which can be a problem for this match. Therefore, fans hope the team to have more possession in this Rio Ave vs Sporting CP 2024/2025 match and, especially, to convert it into goals.

Having won once away from home compared to matches played at home which gave them a record of 4 wins, 0 losses, and 4 draws prove the team is stronger when paying in their own yard.

Best goalscorer from Rio Ave

Individually, the team's most offensive player in the competition so far is C. Fernandes Silva. The Attacker has scored 9 times in the current season and has helped Rio Ave come out with a positive result on several occasions.

It should also be noted that 2 of the goals scored by the player were from the penalty spot.

Sporting CP

Liga Portugal leaderboard now

The Sporting CP team with 41 points currently occupies the 1st place of the leaderboard, being in the qualifying place for the UEFA Champions League, with a campaign of 13 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses.

Sporting CP analysis

After round 17 of Liga Portugal we count 48 goals scored by Sporting CP and 14 conceded.

As we approach the Regular Season, Sporting CP is gearing up for another gripping match. In the opening game, the team managed 6.76 shots on target, offering a glimpse into their offensive capabilities.

A team with great aspirations and abilities in the Liga Portugal.

The Sporting CP team typically attempts to control the game by achieving an average ball possession of 64.29%. The reason for this is that teams with ball possession above 50% usually hold some control over their opponents.

With a balance of 6 wins, 1 loss, and 2 draws in the Liga Portugal, Sporting CP playing away usually gives opponents slim chances of beating them.

Sporting CP is a more offensive team than Rio Ave, having 1919 attacks vs. 1446 from Rio Ave, having scored 48 times, in comparison, Rio Ave converted into goal 18 times.

Best goalscorer from Sporting CP

At the individual level, in this competition's offensive sector, it is worth mentioning Viktor Gyökeres. The Attacker has already scored 21 goals in the competition, being extremely important for Sporting CP, who have benefited from his performances several times to achieve essential triumphs.

It should also be noted that 7 of the goals scored by the player were from the penalty spot.

Bet suggestions for this game:

Goals Top Betting Tips

In short, a much stronger team Sporting CP, better placed in the competition, that usually wins and doesn't concede goals, against an irregular Rio Ave that has difficulty converting and that comes from a sequence of balanced performances.

Currently, at Bet365, the odds for the Both Teams To Score - No market are quoted at 1.8.

It can also be interesting to bet on who will score in this match. The featured player of Rio Ave is C. Fernandes Silva, who has already scored 9 goals in the competition. On the other hand, the leading scorer of Sporting CP is Viktor Gyökeres, he has scored in 21 opportunities.

Sporting CP has conceded 9 away goals in 9 away matches. Here the recommended bet will be that Sporting CP will have a clean sheet, remember that the last time these teams met the score was 3-1, something to take into consideration.

The best time to place bets is between 75-90 minutes as some study have shown this to be where most goals happen.

Handicap Betting Tip

It is very clear the huge favoritism that Sporting CP has for this match. The difference between the teams is big, and that should be evident in the final result. Therefore, a good bet for this clash is on the Asian handicap of -1.5 in favor of the visiting team.

Corners Top Betting Tips

By combining the number of corners of both teams, we can see an average of 5.88 corners per game, also a market to explore to obtain good results in sports betting.

Sporting CP is usually quite offensive in their matches, and this has resulted in a high average of corner kicks in the competition. Currently, the team averages 6.76 corners per game played. Therefore, it might be interesting to bet on the over corner kicks of Sporting CP in this match.

Cards Top Betting Tips

Highly disciplined, the teams have an average of only 3.59 yellow cards per match, when added together. In other words, the 'Under 4.5 cards' option looks like a great alternative for bettors.

This is a match with several good betting entries to have some return on sports betting.

Check other great betting tips here.