Sunday's games in the Portuguese League features a mid table clash between Gil Vicente and Rio Ave. Neither of these two sides are under pressure for the victory here but Gil Vicente would be more cautious about Rio Ave overtaking them with the hosts just below them on the log. Gil Vicente stands out for me here and I'm tipping them to win or draw for the following reasons;
[1] Gil Vicente is on a better run than Rio Ave and I think they can do just fine against the hosts. Daniel Sousa has led his team to five consecutive games without a loss and Gil Vicente has not tasted defeat in the league since January. In their last five games, they won three times and got two draws but the result that stands out from that run is the 2-1 win away to FC Porto. Gil Vicente is one of the two teams to have beaten Porto away from home this season and that is no mean feat. They continued their fine form, winning their next game at home to Maritimo by a 2-0 scoreline. Rio Ave on the other hand has lost two of their last three games and the gap between them and Gil Vicente could get wider as the visitors are in good form. I'm predicting this game to be another easy trip for Daniel Sousa's team.
[2] Gil Vicente has a really nice record against Rio Ave and the last time they lost a game to the hosts was four years ago. They have met five times since then and Gil Vicente has won four of those games with only one match finishing in a draw; Gil Vicente had to come back in the last meeting to earn a point in a 2-2 draw. They are doing very well currently and I see them extending their good run against Rio Ave.
Both teams are seperated by two points on the log but it is Gil Vicente who is in better form both in the last few games and on head to head statistics against Rio Ave. I'm confident the away team can beat Rio Ave or both teams would settle for a draw.
