Rio Ave will be looking to make it two wins from two in the new year when they journey to the Estadio da Luz to take on Benfica in round 17 of the Primeira Liga on Sunday.

Having won each of the last 11 meetings between the teams since February 2018, As Aguias set out to extend their dominance over the visiting side and move top of the league standings.

Match preview

Benfica worked their socks off for a place in the quarter-finals of the Taca de Portugal as they scraped a 3-2 victory over Braga when the sides squared off on Wednesday.

After Rafa Silva and Arthur Cabral scored in a two-minute spell to cancel out Rodrigo Zalazar's early opener, Zalazar grabbed his second of the game in the 48th minute to pull Braga level, but Fredrik Aursnes struck in the 70th minute to hand the hosts a hard-fought win.

While this was a sixth consecutive victory for Roger Schmidt's men, including a 3-1 win over Salzburg in the Champions League, it also marked their fourth straight outing with at least three goals scored.

Benfica, who currently on an 11-game unbeaten in all competitions — eight wins and three draws — now return to action in the Primeira Liga, where they sit second in the table, one point behind first-placed Sporting Lisbon.

Next up for As Aguias is an opposing side who have lost each of the last 11 meetings between the teams, conceding 31 goals and scoring 11 since December 2017, when they picked up a 3-2 extra-time victory in the Taca de Portugal.

Having secured a 12th-placed finish in the Primeira Liga last term, Rio Ave's top-flight status has come under threat this campaign after a disappointing first half of the season.

The Vilacondenses have won just three league games and currently sit in the relegation playoff spot, level on 15 points with Gil Vicente and Portimonense, and just four points above rock-bottom Chaves.

However, Rio Ave kicked off the new year as they would have hoped as they picked up a 2-0 victory over Portimonense when the sides met at the Estadio dos Arcos last Sunday.

After a relatively-uneventful first half, Emmanuel Boateng opened the scoring nine minutes into the second half before 33-year-old Ze Manuel put the result beyond reach with an 89th-minute strike.

Luis Freire's side had failed to win any of their last five games in 2023, playing out four consecutive draws before falling to a 1-0 defeat against Vitoria de Guimaraes at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques on December 23.

While Rio Ave will look to carry on with the momentum from last weekend and pick up back-to-back wins for the first time in 10 months, results on the road offer little optimism as they are one of just two sides yet to taste victory away from home in the Primeira Liga.

The Vila do Conde outfit have also failed to win any of their last 13 competitive games on their travels, losing eight and claiming five draws since a 2-0 victory at Santa Clara in March 2023.

Team News

Benfica remain without the defensive duo of Alexander Bah and former Paris Saint-Germain man Juan Bernat, who are currently recuperating from thigh and muscle injuries respectively.

David Neres has been out of action since coming off with a meniscus problem against Casa Pia on October 28 and the 26-year-old will also play no part in Sunday's tie.

Casper Tengstedt has missed each of the last five matches after picking up a thigh injury against AVS in December and the Danish forward is also out of contention for the home side.

As for Rio Ave, Ghanaian striker Abdul-Aziz Yakubu missed the game against Portimonense last time out through an injury and is a major doubt for this weekend's matchup.

He is joined on the club's injury table by former Porto forward Andre Pereira, who came off with a muscle problem against Vitoria de Guimaraes on December 23.

Benfica possible starting lineup:
Trubin; Aursnes, Otamendi, Silva, Morato; Neves, Luis; Di Maria, Silva, Mario; Cabral

Rio Ave possible starting lineup:
Jhonatan; Sa, Santos, Nobrega; Costinha, Guga, Oudrhiri, Ronaldo; Boateng, Ruiz, Joca

We say: Benfica 3-1 Rio Ave

While Rio Ave will look to pick up where they left off last time out, they are in for a tough 90 minutes against a high-flying Benfica side. As Aguias have won each of their last 11 games against the visitors, and given the gulf in quality and depth between the two sides, they should come out on top once again.

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

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