Rio Ave vs Estrela da Amadora – News and Probable Lineups

On Monday evening, Rio Ave will welcome Estrela Amadora to Estadio do Rio Ave for a Primeira Liga encounter featuring two teams that are experiencing very different trajectories early in the season.

While Sotiris Silaidopoulos’s squad is reeling from back-to-back 4-0 defeats, Pepa’s reshaped Estrela is set to travel to Vila do Conde with an unbeaten record across their first five league fixtures, a first in the club’s history.

Match overview

Rio Ave suffered a 4-0 loss at home against Sporting CP, where Luis Javier Suarez netted two goals along with contributions from Flavio Goncalves and Geny Catamo in a first half where the visitors capitalized on every error, leaving Silaidopoulos’s team with little response after the break.

The defeat was followed by an even more disconcerting result last week, as the Vilacondenses faced another 4-0 loss on the road at Santa Clara, at the Estadio de Sao Miguel in the Azores, bringing their tally to eight goals conceded in two matches without scoring any.

In his second season at the helm, Silaidopoulos will be expecting a response from a team that has managed to find the net just twice in their first five league outings while allowing 11 goals to slip past, with only Moreirense conceding more (12).

As they head into this match, Rio Ave’s home performances offer little solace, having lost to Sporting CP and previously to Porto in a 2-0 defeat during their first home match of the season.

Confidence will be a concern after two heavy losses, and the Vilacondenses have a challenging match ahead against an Estrela side that has turned into one of the surprises of this season.

Nevertheless, they will look towards their historical record against Estrela, having won their last three meetings, two of which were on home turf.

In stark contrast, Estrela Amadora is writing its own history at the start of the season, becoming the first team in the club’s top division history to remain unbeaten after the first five matchdays.

They continued this streak with a 2-1 victory over Braga most recently, following a 2-2 draw with Famalicao and a 3-2 win away at Nacional earlier in the season.

Leandro Antonetti has been pivotal in this transformation, scoring in each of the first four league games, marking him as the first Estrela player to net in three consecutive top-flight matches in 17 years.

Pepa, who took charge in June with a two-year deal, has overseen a nearly complete squad overhaul, with only nine players retained from the previous season’s relegation fight, and new signings such as Lovro Zvonarek and Stefan Lekovic have bolstered the team significantly.

This investment, coupled with links to figures like Thomas Muller and Yann Sommer as part of a new ownership strategy, has rejuvenated a club that barely avoided relegation last season, leading Estrela to approach their trip to Vila do Conde with confidence that they can maintain their unbeaten start against a struggling Rio Ave side.

Team News

Rio Ave will once again be without goalkeeper Cezary Miszta, who is still recovering from surgery, leaving Silaidopoulos with Ennio van der Gouw to guard the net.

Ryan Guilherme (ankle) and Brandon Aguilera (ACL) are also expected to miss out, while the status of Diogo Nascimento and Nelson Abbey remains uncertain.

Despite the recent results, the manager is likely to retain a core group of players who have been regular starters, with Tamble Monteiro poised to lead the attack while seeking his first league goal.

Estrela Amadora has no new injury worries following their victory over Braga, with Pepa anticipated to stick with the same squad that has maintained their unbeaten streak across five matches.

Antonetti will aim to continue his scoring run as he leads the forwards yet again, supported by Ianis Stoica, who found the back of the net twice in the last match, playing from the left side.

Rio Ave probable starting XI:

Van der Gouw; Liavas, Petrasso, Mancha, Vrousai; Ntoi, Nikitscher; Spikic, Blesa, Bezerra; Monteiro

Estrela Amadora probable starting XI:

Linck; Scholze, Patrick, Lekovic Soares, Rafa; God, Serra; Marcus, Zvonarek, Stoica; Antonetti

Looking at Estrela Amadora’s remarkable unbeaten start, Pepa’s effective reconstruction of the squad, and Antonetti’s fine scoring form, they appear to be the more dangerous team on paper, even when playing away.

Given the home team’s defensive difficulties, having conceded eight goals without a response in their last two outings, it seems likely that the visitors’ momentum will carry them to extend their unbeaten streak to six matches.