Liga Bwin: X-ray of the Benfica-Rio Ave match

Benfica and Rio Ave play this Saturday, at 6 pm, at Estádio da Luz, in Matchday 9 of the Liga Bwin. The reds will go after another win in the League, against an opponent that never won at Luz.

History tells us that Benfica are clearly ahead of Rio Ave. In 65 games completed, the team from Luz won 49 times and drew 11.

Rio Ave are still looking to grab their first win away from home. The team led by Luís Freire are 10^th in the table, with nine points, due to two victories (at home against FC Porto by 3-1 and Santa Clara by 1-0) and three draws (away from Vila do Conde). On the other side are Benfica, leaders of the Championship with 22 points, after seven victories and a draw.

The reds have the best defense in the competition, with only three goals conceded, and equally the team with less shots conceded (3,83 average per matches, according to the platform Wyscout).

Strong in defense and dominant in the game, Benfica are the team with the most ball possession (67%) in the Portuguese League, being also leaders in passes (5130 total) and in crosses (20,9 average per game).

Rio Ave are on the other side of the fence in what concerns to shots allowed per game (15,57 average conceded shots per game). In Vila do Conde resides the keeper with the most saves in the League: Jhonatan Luiz with 41 clutch saves in 8 games.

In the last game, Rio Ave came back to the win column, after beating Santa Clara, in Vila do Conde, by 1-0. Luís Freire called the following XI: Jhonatan Luiz, Josué Sá, Aderllan Santos, Patrick William, Andreas Samaris (former Benfica midfielder), Costinha, Miguel Baeza, João Graça, Pedro Amaral, Yakubu Aziz (team’s top scorer with 5 goals) and Emmanuel Boateng.