Rio Ave vs SC Braga
Horta's penalty seals Braga win
A solitary spot-kick proved enough for SC Braga to edge Rio Ave in a tight Primeira Liga clash.
SC Braga secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Rio Ave thanks to Ricardo Horta's penalty in the 67th minute. The match was a cagey affair with few clear-cut chances, and Horta's calm finish made the difference. This result defied Fipster's low-confidence prediction of a 1-1 draw, proving the visitors just a touch sharper on the day.
Outcome probability
As the regular season progresses, Rio Ave and SC Braga face off in what promises to be a closely contested match. Both sides have shown moments of promise but remain evenly matched, setting the stage for a tactical battle.
Match factors
Rio Ave's reliance on Blesa for goals
Jalen Miller Blesa is Rio Ave's main goal threat, scoring 3 goals with strong home form, making him key to breaking down Braga's defense
Pau Victor's superior scoring rate for Braga
Pau Victor leads Braga with 4 goals in 9 games, outperforming league average attackers and providing Braga a scoring edge
Diogo Bezerra's creative influence for Rio Ave
Bezerra has 3 assists and 1 goal this season, showing good recent form as a creative midfielder for Rio Ave
SC Braga's defensive stability with Vitor Carvalho
Carvalho provides defensive solidity and occasional assists, helping Braga control the game and support attacks
The context
Rio Ave currently sit 16th in the league with 7 points from 10 games, struggling for consistency with just two wins. SC Braga are a bit more comfortable in 10th place with 11 points from 9 games, though their form has been patchy. Historically, Braga have the edge in head-to-head meetings, but recent form suggests neither side can dominate easily.
Key insights
Jalen Miller Blesa
Rio Ave
Blesa is Rio Ave's main goal threat with 3 goals, including 2 in the last 3 home games, making him crucial for breaking down Braga's defence.
Primeira Liga 26/273 goals in 10 appearances, 0.3 goals/game
Pau Victor
SC Braga
Pau Victor leads Braga with 4 goals in 9 games, boasting a strong scoring rate that gives Braga an attacking edge.
Primeira Liga 26/274 goals in 9 appearances, 0.44 goals/game
Diogo Bezerra
Rio Ave
Bezerra's creativity shines with 3 assists and 1 goal this season, providing Rio Ave with key attacking support.
Primeira Liga 26/273 assists in 10 appearances, 0.3 assists/game
Vitor Carvalho
SC Braga
Carvalho offers defensive stability and occasional assists, helping Braga maintain control and support attacks.
Primeira Liga 26/271 assist in 9 appearances, 0.11 assists/game
Analysis
Rio Ave rely heavily on Jalen Miller Blesa, their top scorer with 3 goals, particularly effective at home where he has netted twice in the last three matches. Midfielder Diogo Bezerra also provides creative spark with 3 assists this season. SC Braga counter with Pau Victor, their leading marksman with 4 goals, maintaining a strong scoring rate. Defensively, Braga benefit from Vitor Carvalho's solidity and occasional assists. The match is expected to be tight, with both teams cautious in the first half and looking to exploit key attacking players.
Key facts
- 1.Rio Ave are 16th in the league with 7 points from 10 games (W2 D1 L7).
- 2.SC Braga are 10th in the league with 11 points from 9 games (W3 D2 L4).
- 3.In 20 head-to-head meetings, Rio Ave have won 5, SC Braga 10, with 5 draws.
- 4.Head-to-head matches average 2.8 goals per game.
- 5.Jalen Miller Blesa is Rio Ave's top scorer with 3 goals in 10 games.
- 6.Pau Victor leads SC Braga with 4 goals in 9 games.
- 7.Diogo Bezerra has provided 3 assists for Rio Ave this season.
- 8.Prediction expects 4 total cards in the match.
Prediction
The prediction leans towards a 1-1 draw, with a goalless first half reflecting a cautious start. Both sides are likely to find the net once, sharing points in a balanced encounter. The total number of cards is expected to be around four, indicating a competitive but controlled game.
Player Insights
Standout players Fipster expects to impact the match — curated highlights, not full squad lists
Home — Rio Ave
Away — SC Braga
The verdict
In summary, this fixture is finely balanced with neither Rio Ave nor SC Braga able to assert clear dominance. Fans can expect a tactical tussle with moments of attacking quality from Blesa and Pau Victor. A 1-1 draw seems a fair outcome, leaving both teams to regroup and push for better results in upcoming matches.
Prediction generated 1 Nov 2026, 22:21 UTC · Fipster Model v1.166
Form as the teams went into this match — excludes this result and anything since.
Team Comparison
Season shape — attack, defence, form, clean sheets & win rate
Home vs Away comparison
Goal difference in each of the last few fixtures — above the line is a net win, below is a net loss
Season comparison
Goals scored & conceded, goal difference and clean sheets across the season
Halftime Performance
What each side does once the whistle goes for half time
Streaks
Recent-form runs — each side’s most-recent game meets in the middle
Head to Head
Diogo Nascimento
Yellow Card
Arrey-Mbi
Gabri Martínez
Penalty confirmed
Bezerra
Yellow Card
Ricardo Horta
Penalty
Clemmensen
Lomboto
João Tomé
Patricio
Unknown
Fran Navarro
Yellow Card
Gorby
Ricardo Horta
Fran Navarro
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  FC Porto | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | +22 | 33 |
| 7 |  GIL Vicente | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | +2 | 18 |
| 8 |  SC Braga | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | +1 | 14 |
| 9 |  Moreirense | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | -5 | 14 |
| 16 |  Casa Pia | 11 | 2 | 2 | 7 | -14 | 8 |
| 17 |  Rio Ave | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | -14 | 7 |
| 18 |  Estoril | 10 | 0 | 2 | 8 | -14 | 2 |
Match Statistics
Rio Ave
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 7Diogo BezerraM
- 11J. BlesaF
- 13J. LombotoD
- 17M. VrousaiD
- 20João ToméD
- 39Gustavo ManchaD
- 54G. LiavasM
- 79M. PatricioM
- 80S. ClemmensenM
- 90Diogo NascimentoM
- 99E. van der GouwG
Substitutes
- 3S. GarciaD
- 8Ryan GuilhermeM
- 9Tamble MonteiroF
- 10B. AguileraM
- 19M. SelloukiM
- 21R. ŠilerF
- 23F. PetrassoD
- 30R. GalčíkF
- 32Vitor HugoG
- 44T. NikitscherM
- 77D. ŠpikićF
SC Braga
3-4-3Starting XI
- 7Diogo TravassosM
- 8João MoutinhoM
- 9Fran NavarroF
- 10Pau VictorF
- 14G. LagerbielkeD
- 21Ricardo HortaF
- 26B. Arrey-MbiD
- 29J. GorbyM
- 31Bernardo FontesG
- 37A. BarišićD
- 77Gabri MartínezM
Substitutes
- 2Víctor GómezD
- 6Vitor CarvalhoM
- 12Tiago SáG
- 16Tomás MarquésM
- 17J. MiloševićF
- 19J. WindF
- 20M. DorgelesM
- 22Sergio BarciaD
- 23D. HuseinbašićM
- 44A. BajramiD
- 50Diego RodriguesM
Rio Ave
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| João Tomé | D | 69 | 7.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1/1 |
| Gustavo Mancha | D | 90 | 7.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| J. Lomboto | D | 69 | 6.8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| M. Vrousai | D | 90 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Diogo Nascimento | M | 90 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1/2 |
| G. Liavas | M | 90 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| S. Clemmensen | M | 69 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1/4 |
| J. Blesa | F | 90 | 6.4 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| F. Petrasso | D | 21 | 6.4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| B. Aguilera | M | 21 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Guilherme | M | 13 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Tamble Monteiro | F | 13 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Diogo Bezerra | M | 90 | 6.2 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | 0/1 |
| E. van der Gouw | G | 90 | 6.1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| M. Patricio | M | 77 | 6.0 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1/1 |
| Vitor Hugo | G | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| T. Nikitscher | M | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| S. Garcia | D | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| R. Šiler | F | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| R. Galčík | F | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| D. Špikić | F | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| M. Sellouki | M | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
SC Braga
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Dorgeles | M | 30 | 7.5 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1/2 |
| G. Lagerbielke | D | 90 | 7.4 | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | — |
| A. Barišić | D | 90 | 7.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| J. Gorby | M | 81 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| João Moutinho | M | 90 | 7.2 | — | — | 1 | — | 3 | — |
| Víctor Gómez | D | 30 | 7.1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Gabri Martínez | M | 60 | 7.0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1/2 |
| Vitor Carvalho | M | 9 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| D. Huseinbašić | M | 9 | 6.8 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Ricardo Horta | F | 81 | 6.8 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| Pau Victor | F | 90 | 6.7 | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | 1/1 |
| Bernardo Fontes | G | 90 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| B. Arrey-Mbi | D | 60 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Diogo Travassos | M | 90 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fran Navarro | F | 94 | 6.3 | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | 2/4 |
| Tomás Marqués | M | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| J. Milošević | F | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sergio Barcia | D | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A. Bajrami | D | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tiago Sá | G | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| J. Wind | F | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Diego Rodrigues | M | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Prediction Q&A
- Who did Fipster predict to win Rio Ave vs SC Braga?
- Fipster's AI model predicted a draw between Rio Ave and SC Braga.
- What score did Fipster predict for Rio Ave vs SC Braga?
- Fipster predicted a final score of Rio Ave 1–1 SC Braga.
- What were the win probabilities for Rio Ave vs SC Braga?
- Fipster's model gave Rio Ave a 33% chance of winning, SC Braga a 32% chance, and a 35% chance of a draw.
- How confident was Fipster in this prediction?
- Fipster's model assigned this prediction 35% confidence — a low-confidence call.