Rio Ave 3-2 Nacional: Result, Match Stats and Our Prediction
Our picks against the result
7 of 12 right
- Result Rio Ave win35% 3-2
- Double chance Rio Ave or Nacional (12)69% 3-2
- Goals over/under 2.5 Under 2.555% 5 goals
- More corners Nacional45% Level (8-8)
- Yellow cards Below average 2 yellow cards · league 4.1
- Yellow cards 2 yellow cards 3.5 Under50% 4.5 Under70% 5.5 Under84%
- Corners Around average 16 corners · league 8.6
- Corners 16 corners 8.5 Over56% 9.5 Under56% 10.5 Under66%
Match stats
Rio Ave Nacional
- 3 Goals 2
- 2 Yellow cards 0
- 1 Red cards 0
- 8 Corners 8
Goals, yellow and red cards and corners of each club.
Before kick-off
What this page showed before the match: our reasons, form, ratings and records as they were then.
Match summary
Rio Ave vs Nacional in Liga Portugal on Matchday 8, Sunday 11 October 2026: our model picks Rio Ave to win, and the double chance covers Rio Ave or Nacional to win with no draw.
Why this pick?
Our model leans towards Rio Ave, primarily because they are at home. The main counterpoint is that our long-run, xG-based strength rating places Nacional slightly higher, and both teams are clearly below the Liga Portugal average by that measure. Rio Ave's recent attacking numbers — shots, big chances created and touches in the opponent's box — all fall clearly short of the league average. Yet Nacional have lost their last five matches, while Rio Ave have at least a win and a draw in that spell, and the home advantage gives the hosts an edge. The model's overall view points to Rio Ave, and the call is narrow.
Form guide
Rio Ave
- L 0-1 at Alverca (A) Liga Portugal · 19 Sep
- D 3-3 vs Estrela da Amadora (H) Liga Portugal · 14 Sep
- L 0-4 at Santa Clara (A) Liga Portugal · 6 Sep
- L 0-4 vs Sporting CP (H) Liga Portugal · 28 Aug
- W 2-0 at Estoril (A) Liga Portugal · 22 Aug
Nacional
- L 0-4 vs Famalicão (H) Liga Portugal · 19 Sep
- L 1-3 vs Alverca (H) Liga Portugal · 12 Sep
- L 0-2 at Sporting CP (A) Liga Portugal · 5 Sep
- L 2-3 vs Estrela da Amadora (H) Liga Portugal · 30 Aug
- L 0-1 at Vitória de Guimarães (A) Liga Portugal · 23 Aug
Last five competitive matches before kick-off, all competitions, results after 90 minutes.
Attack and defence ratings
0 to 100 against this season's Liga Portugal clubs (100 = best). The rating is our model's long-run strength before this match: it uses the last three years and counts recent matches most, so a few results do not move it at once. Under each rating: this season's actual goals per match.
Head-to-head
24 meetings since 2010, results after 90 minutes.
- 25 Jan 2026 · Liga Portugal Nacional 4-0 Rio Ave
- 17 Aug 2025 · Liga Portugal Rio Ave 1-1 Nacional
- 10 May 2025 · Liga Portugal Nacional 3-3 Rio Ave
- 29 Dec 2024 · Liga Portugal Rio Ave 2-1 Nacional
- 10 Apr 2022 · Liga Portugal 2 Nacional 2-0 Rio Ave
Liga Portugal so far
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | Goals | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Nacional | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7:15 | -8 | 4 |
| 16 | Rio Ave | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5:15 | -10 | 4 |
Positions in our table of 18 clubs, before kick-off. Full table
Match facts
- Competition
- Liga Portugal, Matchday 8
- Kick-off
- Venue
- Estádio do Rio Ave Futebol Clube, Vila do Conde
Questions and answers
What was the score of Rio Ave vs Nacional?
Rio Ave 3-2 Nacional in the Liga Portugal (Matchday 8) on Sunday 11 October 2026.
Was the OptimaGoal prediction for Rio Ave vs Nacional right?
Yes: our result pick was Rio Ave win, and the score after 90 minutes was 3-2. 7 of our 12 picks and markets for this match were right.
How many cards and corners were there in Rio Ave vs Nacional?
2 yellow cards (Rio Ave 2, Nacional 0), 1 red card (Rio Ave 1, Nacional 0) and 16 corners (Rio Ave 8, Nacional 8).
Other Liga Portugal results that day
All results
Times are UTC.