On Friday evening Rio Ave and Nacional Madeira meet in the Portuguese top-flight, as the home team look to move clear of the relegation zone.
A recent run of inconsistent form has left Rio Ave just a point off the relegation play-off spot. A 2-0 defeat against reigning champions Porto last time out means that they have suffered defeat in five of their last seven games in the Primeira Liga.
A lack of goals has hindered the home team’s chances of moving away from the danger zone in the Portuguese top-flight. Only Belenenses have scored fewer goals in the Primeira Liga this season.
Poor home form has not helped Rio Ave move further away from the drop zone, as they have won just two of their previous eight league matches on home soil.
Rio Ave’s recent home games in the top-flight have been relatively high-scoring, with over 2.5 goals scored in their last three league games on home soil.
Nacional are just two points above the home side in the Primeira Liga table, so are far from safe from getting sucked into the fight for survival.
However, the visitors have taken four points from their last two games, including recording a creditable 1-1 draw at Benfica and a 2-1 win over Famalicao last time out. The latter result ended a four-game winless run in the top-flight for the visitors, three of which they had lost.
Nacional have been really poor away from Madeira in recent seasons, as they have lost 14 of their last 18 away games in the Portuguese top-flight while recording just one victory.
The visitors have scored just twice in their last five away games in the league, which is illustrates their lack of firepower of late.
Forebet predicts that this game will end in a low-scoring draw, which is not a major surprise considering the two teams proximity to each other in the table.