Benfica vs Rio Ave prediction 23.09.2025 | Liga Portugal

Benfica ended second in Liga Portugal in the last two seasons, but are determined to return to the throne this year. Benfica started the season well with four wins and one draw, but are behind the league leader, Porto, who, so far, have all six wins. However, Benfica had one shocking defeat recently, when Qarabag won 3-2 in Lisbon in the Champions League. That cost Bruno Lage his head coaching job. As his replacement, Jose Mourinho came, who led Benfica to a 3-0 win on the road against AVS in his first game in charge.

Benfica were in a tough spot after an unexpected defeat against Qarabag, so it was essential for Jose Mourinho and his players to return to the right track against AVS. After the game, Mourinho said, "I told them that they had to, like players at a big club, enjoy the pressure, the responsibility. I didn't fully get that message across, but in the second half, I managed to instill in them high levels of confidence and ambition to win the game."

Alexander Bah, Bruma, Nuno Felix, Dodi Lukebakio, and Manu are injured and will not play on Tuesday against Rio Ave.

Rio Ave have had three solid seasons since they returned to the strongest Portuguese competition in 2022. Most pundits expected Sotiris Sylaidopoulos' team to have another solid year, but they opened the 2025/26 season with only three points after five league matches. In the previous game, Rio Ave lost 3-0 at home against Porto. The home side ended the game with xG of only 0.18, while the guests had 2.01, so it is no wonder that Sylaidopoulos' team suffered another defeat.

After the defeat against Porto, Rio Ave's head coach, Sotiris Sylaiodpulos, complained about the team's schedule, so it seems that the upcoming match in Lisbon could be a real challenge for them. He said, "We don't just have one game on Tuesday. We have nine days and three games."

Theofanis Bakoulas is injured and will not play on Tuesday in Lisbon.