Two sides enjoying pleasing runs of form in Portugal's top flight will do battle at the Estadio dos Arcos on Friday, as Rio Ave entertain Arouca.
The visitors sit in a strong position in seventh spot in the Primeira Liga table with just five games to go thanks to three straight victories, while their hosts have moved ahead in the fight for survival with a seven-game unbeaten streak.
Match preview
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Rio Ave return to action on home turf on Friday aiming to further boost their Primeira Liga survival hopes this term, having improved their standing in a tight bottom half impressively in recent weeks.
A defeat to Famalicao in mid-February left Os Rioavistas just above the bottom three on just 21 points from 22 league outings, but they have since strengthened their hopes with a seven-match unbeaten streak, albeit drawing six of those.
Luis Freire's side firstly shared points on five consecutive occasions, including creditable draws with league leaders Sporting Lisbon, fourth-placed Braga and sixth-placed Moreirense, before making a crucial return to winning ways at home to Gil Vicente in early April.
Os Rioavistas dished out a 3-0 beating in that encounter, courtesy of goals from Joao Teixeira, Aziz and Joca, before they most recently travelled to take on 15th-placed Estrela Amadora on Sunday and looked set to fall to a 2-1 defeat having fallen behind in the 89th minute, only for Marios Vrousai to pop up with a leveller deep into injury time and snatch another vital point for his side.
While they have climbed to 11th spot in Portugal's top flight with that unbeaten streak, the tight bottom half of the table means Freire's men only lead two of the bottom seven teams by one point, two by two points and the relegation playoff place by just three points with five games left to play, and they will bid to extend that cushion and their improvement with a victory on home turf on Friday.
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They face no easy task, though, as the visitors arrive aiming to stretch an impressive run of their own and build on a healthy lead to cement a top-half place in the final run-in.
In their third consecutive season back in the Primeira Liga, Arouca have enjoyed a positive campaign, maintaining a top-half position since January having earned 43 points from their 29 games thus far.
Their standing in seventh spot in Portugal's top flight was at risk after consecutive defeats at the hands of Sporting Lisbon and Moreirense in March, but the Arouquenses have bounced back in style since, moving clear of the chasing pack with three straight victories as they firstly saw off Farense on home turf before travelling to fourth-placed Braga and picking up a memorable 3-0 win thanks to Rafa Mujica's brace and a Serdar Saatci own goal.
Daniel Ramos's side then most recently welcomed Boavista to the Estadio Municipal de Arouca on Sunday and again took all three points, prevailing in a 2-1 victory having gone two goals ahead in the first half through Mujica and Weverson.
Now with plenty of momentum on their side having moved eight points clear of eighth-placed Famalicao and level with sixth-placed Moreirense, Arouca will look to continue their fine run on Friday and record a fourth straight triumph to crack the top six.
Team News
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Rio Ave will head into Friday's meeting without attackers Andre Pereira and Amine Oudrhiri, with the former having been out of action through injury since December, while the latter has missed their last two games with an issue of his own.
Luis Freire may opt to deploy an unchanged starting XI from their draw away at Estrela Amadora last time out, with Aziz again set to lead the line in their 3-4-3 shape having scored five goals in their last nine Primeira Liga games.
He should be joined in the front three by Joca and Fabio Ronaldo, while Joao Teixeira and Sporting Lisbon loanee Mateo Tanlongo will likely continue their partnership in the midfield.
Given their impressive recent form, Arouca should travel on Friday with an unchanged starting XI from their win over Boavista last time out, with midfielder Nino Galovic remaining sidelined by an injury.
Talismanic striker Rafa Mujica will continue to lead the line, having notched up 19 goals in 28 Primeira Liga appearances this season, including three in the last two games and six in his last six, while Cristo Gonzalez will continue to play a key role in support of the front man despite missing two penalties last time out, with the Spaniard boasting 12 goals and eight assists of his own in the Portuguese top flight this term.
Morlaye Sylla and Jason should complete the attacking unit, while David Simao and Pedro Santos will continue their partnership at the base of the midfield, shielding an unaltered back four of Tiago Esgaio, Robson Bambu, Francisco Montero and Weverson.
Rio Ave possible starting lineup:
Da Siqueira; Devenish, Santos, William; Costinha, Teixeira, Tanlongo, Vrousai; Ronaldo, Aziz, Joca
Arouca possible starting lineup:
De Arruabarrena; Esgaio, Bambu, Montero, Weverson; Simao, Santos; Sylla, Cristo, Jason; Mujica
We say: Rio Ave 1-1 Arouca
Friday's encounter promises to be an exciting one as two impressive runs of form are pitted against one another, and we see the visitors' winning streak being ended in a competitive draw.
Rio Ave have certainly shown their resilience in recent weeks, holding high-flying opposition on several occasions, and with home advantage and the need for continued results in their survival bid, we fancy them to take a share of the spoils again when they meet an in-form Arouca side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
