Round 26
Rio Ave vs. Benfica
Estádio dos Arcos, Vila do Conde, Portugal.
16.03.25 at 21:00
Rio Ave will have their resolve tested when they play host to Benfica at Estádio dos Arcos in the 26th round in the Primeira Liga.
Let's head into the match preview to find the best odds on the Rio Ave vs. Benfica game and my expert picks to place your bets.
Get Your Sign-Up Bonus!Rio Ave
Form: LWLDD
Rio Ave occupy tenth place in the Primeira Liga standings and have accumulated 29 points from 25 games. They are six points ahead of the relegation zone and have maintained a one point cushion over 11th-placed and 12th-placed Moreirense and FC Arouca, respectively.
In their recent league outing, the hosts found themselves on the receiving end of a 1-0 away defeat against Famalicao. So far, they have won just one of their last six league games (D3, L2).
Returning to Estádio dos Arcos, sees Vilacondenses aiming to maintain their three-match unbeaten run. Their last match at this venue saw them beat Braga 2-1 and will aim for a similar outcome.
Probable Starting XI
Formation: 4-3-3
Miszta; Abbey, Panzo, Ntoi, Vrousai; Tiknaz, Pohlmann, Aguilera; Bondoso, Clayton, Morais
Benfica
Form: WWWWW
Benfica come into this match low in spirits after being dumped out of the UEFA Champions League last 16 by Barcelona. They lost the first leg 1-0 at home and were dealt another disheartening result in the return leg, losing 3-1 on the road.
The Eagles now return to the Primeira Liga where they've been in exceptional form. The visitors are currently on a five-match winning streak. During this period, they scored 13 goals and preserved three clean sheets.
Last time out, they beat CD Nacional 3-0 at home thanks to goals from Zeki Amdouni, Orkun Kokcu and Vangelis Pavlidis. It's also worth mentioning that this was their third straight league game without conceding.
Probable Starting XI
Formation: 4-2-2-1-1
Trubin; Araujo, Otamendi, Silva, Carreras; Barreiro, Aursnes; Akturkoglu, Kokcu; Bruma; Pavlidis
Match Facts
- Rio Ave has lost two of their last three matches in the Primeira Liga.
- Benfica has covered Asian handicap -1.5 spread in their last two league games.
- Rio Ave has not won a league game against Benfica since March 2015.
- Benfica won 5-0 in the reverse fixture.
Head-To-Head
In the last 45 meetings, Rio Ave has won 2 times, Benfica has won 34 times, and there have been 9 draws with the goal difference being 102-37 in favour of Benfica.
History of Head-to-Heads
Liga Portugal 2025/2026 
Rio Ave
Liga Portugal 2024/2025
Benfica
Liga Portugal 2024/2025
Rio Ave
Liga Portugal 2023/2024
Benfica
Liga Portugal 2023/2024
Rio Ave
Rio Ave Latest Games
Rio Ave
Santa Clara
Rio Ave
Estoril
Rio Ave
Tondela
Rio Ave
Rio Ave
FC Porto
Rio Ave
Braga
Benfica Latest Games
Benfica
Sporting CP
Benfica
Benfica
Casa Pia
Bayer Leverkusen
Benfica
Arouca
Benfica
Benfica
Benfica
Expert Betting Tips
Rio Ave has performed much better at home than away. However, I don't think that home advantage alone will be enough to see them prevent defeat in this one. If league form is anything to go by, then, their opponents have been the better team.
Benfica's record stands out stronger in this fixture and there's no way I see them dropping points. In the reverse fixture they won 5-0 at home and with their recent elimination from the UEFA Champions League they will be out to make a statement of intent.
That said, I'm expecting the visitors to cover the Asian handicap -1.5. This has been the case in five of their last seven encounters against Rio Ave.
Our main prediction for the match: Asian Handicap - Benfica -1.5 for 2.07 with Bet365.
2nd prediction: W2 & TO 2.5 for 1.92 with 1xbet.
3rd prediction: Both Teams To Score - No for 1.92 with Betway.
Other predictions
