Two sides looking to avoid relegation from the Primeira Liga come together on Saturday evening when Boavista host Rio Ave at the Estadio do Bessa Seculo XXI.
The hosts are 10th coming into this game, but just five points above Portimonense who occupy the relegation playoff spot, while the visitors are in 15th and just two points clear of the drop zone.
Match preview
Boavista head into this game on the back of a 6-1 mauling by current league leaders Sporting Lisbon where, despite taking an early lead inside three minutes, another poor defensive display led to yet another disappointing result.
That has been the story of Os Axadrezados' season so far, conceding the fourth-most goals in the league with 51 in 26 games, leaving them well on course to produce their worst defensive record since returning to the top flight in the 2014-15 season, breaking the unwanted mark they set last campaign when they conceded 54 goals in 34 games.
Boavista started the season well under the guidance of Petit, who was enjoying his second spell at the helm of the club having previously managed from October 2012 to November 2015 before returning in November 2021.
However, Petit's side's fortunes quickly turned around from late October onwards as they embarked on a run of six consecutive losses across the league, cup and a friendly against Mallorca, which resulted in the dismissal of the manager.
Since then Boavista have been under the guidance of interim manager Jorge Couto and now permanent boss Ricardo Paiva, and while they have seen a slight upturn in form under these two, Os Axadrezados have still struggled to put together any real run of results.
Having failed to record back-to-back wins in the league since victories over Estoril Praia and Chaves in September, Boavista now find themselves in a precarious position where they are just five points above the relegation zone.
If they are to retain their status in the Primeira Liga for an 11th straight season then they must improve on recent results, starting with a victory in this game against a Rio Ave side who are just two points above the relegation zone.
The visitors have won a joint league-low four games this campaign and are only above the relegation zone thanks to an unparalleled 13 draws from their 26 games - three more than the next highest amount.
While they have only lost two of their 11 games since the turn of the year, they have also only won two in that time, and they come into this game on the back of four consecutive draws.
Too many draws has been a large problem for Rio Ave this year, owing mainly to their inability to find the net as they have scored just 26 goals, with only four teams recording fewer than this so far.
Luis Freire's men must start converting these draws into victories if they are to move away from the relegation zone and confirm their place in next season's top flight, but that will be a difficult task on the road against Boavista as they have failed to win any of their 13 games away from home this season, the only team yet to win away across the entire league.
Team News
Paiva may have a lot to think about regarding his team selection for this game, with five players potentially unavailable for selection.
Cesar Dutra, Augusto Dabo and Luis Santos are all out through injury, while defensive duo Vincent Sasso and Rodrigo Abascal are both doubts for the match.
Rio Ave will only be missing a single player for this game as Miguel Nobrega is expected to continue his stay on the sidelines following a muscle injury that he sustained against Braga.
Other than this, Freire is expected to name an unchanged 11 from the team that took a point away from home against SC Farense.
Boavista possible starting lineup:
Goncalves; Malherio, Awaziem, Camara, Ferreira, Onyemaechi; Makouta, Perez, Reisinho, Agra; Bozenik
Rio Ave possible starting lineup:
Jhonatan; Sa, Santos, William; Costinha, Oudrhiri, Silva, Embalo; Fernandes, Aziz, Teixeira
We say: Boavista 0-1 Rio Ave
The hosts will have multiple players missing or not fully fit from their backline for this game, giving Rio Ave a big chance to grab their first away win of the season.
The visitors have improved in recent games, albeit failing to win in any of their last five, with valuable draws against Sporting and Braga, leading us to believe they will come out victorious.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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