Football Bet of the Day: Big River to wash away Madeiran visitors

Rio Ave have been strong at home this season

After an odds-against winner from Greece last night, Kevin Hatchard's looking to repeat the trick in Portugal today.

Rio Ave v Maritimo
Sunday January 11, 16:00

Our bumpy week finally hit a smooth patch of road yesterday, as Asteras Tripolis played their part in our Over 2.5 Goals bet. A rare blank for PAOK was of little consequence, as Asteras were 3-0 up by half time, and that's the way it stayed.

So then, where do we go to try and finish the week on a high? Portugal, that's where, for a clash between Rio Ave and Maritimo.

Rio Ave had a superb season last term, as they reached the finals of both domestic cup competitions. Sadly for them, they lost both to Benfica, and coach Nuno Santo was then spirited away to Valencia, where he's going great guns. His replacement Pedro Martins lost the Portuguese Supercup to Benfica (no prizes for guessing which team is on the dartboards of Rio Ave fans), and the team was a huge disappointment in the Europa League, but the Primeira Liga campaign is going well.

The Big River are sixth in the standings, just five points off the Europa League spots. They have been particularly strong at their home in Vila do Conde, winning four of their seven league games and losing just once. That defeat came recently against title contenders Porto, and Rio Ave responded by winning 2-1 at Pacos de Ferreira and then battering Gil Vicente 5-2.

Maritimo are tenth in the table, and have a decent recent record against Rio Ave, but away from their base in Madeira they have been atrocious this term. 16 of their 19 points this season have been collected at home, and they have lost their last six away games in the Portuguese top flight. On that basis, 2.226/5 seems quite a hefty price for the home win, especially given Rio Ave's generally strong performances at the Estadio dos Arcos.

Recommended Bet

Back Rio Ave to win at 2.226/5

2015 P/L (1pt per bet)

Points Staked: 6

Points Returned: 5.17

P/L: -0.83 points

2014 P/L: -0.88 points