Our Sporting vs Rio Ave Prediction: 4-1
Sporting vs Rio Ave in the Portugal Primeira Liga is scheduled for an 20:30 GMT kick-off on Sunday December 28, 2025. A 4-1 result in favor of the hosts is our top pick, yet with both sides creating chances, over 2.5 goals remains an appealing option.
This Sporting vs Rio Ave prediction is backed by a deep dive into both teams' recent performances, key stats and head-to-head history — all of which you'll find detailed below to help you make an informed betting decision.
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Recent Form Insights
Sporting's Last Match – Guimaraes vs Sporting
Sporting will hope to extend their good run following a 4-1 Portugal Primeira Liga win against Guimaraes on December 23. In that match, Sporting saw 57% of the ball and created 13 goal attempts, with 6 on target.
| Team | Possession | Shots (on target) | xG | Dangerous Attacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Guimaraes | 43% | 14 (6) | 0.72 | 48 |
 Sporting | 57% | 13 (6) | 2.53 | 32 |
Rio Ave's Last Match – Gil Vicente vs Rio Ave
Determined to get back to winning ways, Rio Ave must win after their 2-2 Portugal Primeira Liga draw against Gil Vicente on December 20. In that match, Rio Ave recorded 46% possession, attempting 3 shots on goal, with 3 hitting the target.
| Team | Possession | Shots (on target) | xG | Dangerous Attacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gil Vicente | 54% | 15 (6) | 1.27 | 62 |
 Rio Ave | 46% | 3 (3) | 0.27 | 21 |
Sporting vs Rio Ave Stats
Key Stats
| Sporting | Rio Ave | |
|---|---|---|
| 2.18 | Attacking Strength | 1.2 |
| 0.4 | Defence Strength | 1.31 |
| 2.3 | Points Per Game | 1.3 |
| 7/10 | WIN | 3/10 |
| 2/10 | DRAW | 4/10 |
| 4/10 | Clean Sheets | 2/10 |
| 6/10 | BTTS | 6/10 |
| 8/10 | Over 2.5 Goals | 6/10 |
| 2.8 | Average Scored | 1.3 |
Goals Scored vs Goals Conceded
Sporting are averaging 2.8 goals scored and 0.9 conceded per match, while Rio Ave average 1.3 scored and 1.4 conceded per game.
Sporting 28-9
Rio Ave 13-14
What are the odds for this match?
Sporting to win: @1.142
Draw: @7.5
Rio Ave to win: @19
Lineups
Sporting (4-2-3-1) : Rui Silva, Georgios Vagiannidis, Quaresma, Goncalo Inacio, Ricardo Mangas, Morten Hjulmand, Joao Pedro Simoes, Francisco Trincao, Fotis Ioannidis, Maxi Araujo, Luis Javier Suarez
Rio Ave (3-4-3) : Cezary Miszta, Francisco Petrasso, Jakub Brabec, Nelson Abbey, Joao Tome, Andreas Ntoi, Georgios Liavas, Nikolaos Athanasiou, Dario Spikic, Karem Zoabi, Ole Pohlmann
FC Porto 
Sporting 
Benfica 
Braga 
Gil Vicente 
Famalicao 
Estoril 
Moreirense 
Guimaraes 
Arouca 
Alverca 
Estrela 
Casa Pia 
Nacional 
Rio Ave 
Tondela 
Santa Clara