Gil Vicente v Rio Ave

Gil Vicente vs Rio Ave Preview

Gil Vicente extended their unbeaten sequence in the Portuguese top flight to four games just after Christmas with a point gained by way of a 1-1 draw away from home at Arouca and the hosts will be looking to make the most of home advantage when they return to their Estádio Cidade de Barcelos on Monday night.

Rio Ave recorded a 2-1 home win against Nacional last Sunday in the Portuguese Primeira Liga which ended a previously worrying three-game winless run in the domestic top flight which consisted of two defeats and a draw.

Gil Vicente have collected two wins and two draws in their last four games overall which includes recent wins against Nacional and Farense along with a point gained via a 0-0 draw at home with Sporting Lisbon and manager Bruno Pinheiro will be hoping his side can build upon these promising results on Monday night.

Results and form on home soil at their Estádio Cidade de Barcelos have also seen Gil Vicente string together some solid results in recent times as the hosts have suffered just one loss in their last nine home games.

Within this nine-game home period, Gil Vicente have picked up four wins with victories gained over Farense, AVS, Estrela and Nacional, which will give the hosts a welcome boost for this upcoming clash.

Rio Ave registered a welcome three points last time out in the Portuguese Primeira Liga when they beat Nacional 2-1 at home, but that recent win became only a third victory from their previous 12 matches in the domestic top flight.

Previous wins recorded against Boavista and Moreirense have been overshadowed by slipping to five defeats within this 12-match period which consist of losses incurred against AVS, Sporting Braga, Benfica, Santa Clara and Estrela respectively, all of which were also dealt out to Rio Ave on their travels.

Indeed, Rio Ave possess a wretched record away from home in the Portuguese top flight as the visitors have managed to pick up just one win from their previous 29 outings in the Primeira Liga which was achieved at Boavista with a 2-0 victory but also includes being handed 15 defeats as well which does not bode well for this upcoming trip to face Gil Vicente at the Estádio Cidade de Barcelos.

In addition, Rio Ave have also failed to score in 13 of these 29 away games and they will be up against a solid and well-organised Gil Vicente outfit on Monday night.

Gil Vicente v Rio Ave Verdict

Gil Vicente have made themselves a tough side to beat in recent months in the Portuguese top flight and the hosts look the more likely for the win here.

Therefore, our main bet will be Gil Vicente win @ 2.20

Other side bets worth considering:

Gil Vicente win & Under 2.5 goals @ 4.50

Correct Score: Gil Vicente 2-0 @ 10.00