There will be an interesting clash in the Europa League this week, as Besiktas take on Rio Ave, with the winners progressing through to the playoff round of the competition. But, will the Turkish side be able to see of the Portuguese team?
Europa League Preview
Besiktas have started the season well in the Turkish domestic league, as they are yet to be beaten in their opening two games. They won their opener, before getting a first draw of the new season in their second game. That recent draw was against Antalyaspor, with Cyle Larin opening the scoring for Besiktas in the first half. Antalyaspor had less of the ball throughout the game, as they had just 39% of the ball. However, they were able to snatch a point in the closing stages, with Gokdeniz Bayrakdar scoring with five minutes remaining. Besiktas had won their opening game of the season 3-1 against Trabzonspor, with Tyler Boyd, Bernard Mensah and Jeremain Lens scoring in the victory. This will be a slightly different challenge, but they will feel as though they have the quality to get the three points.
Rio Ave surprised a lot of people last season by earning their place in the Europa League for 2020-21. They finished fifth in the domestic league to earn a spot in the Europa League for the first time in five years. This will also be just the second time that they have competed in a major European competition. Rio Ave kicked off the season with a draw in their opening game against Tondela. Ricardo Alves gave Tondela the lead after nine minutes. It looked unlikely that Rio Ave would take anything from the game, but Ryotaro Meshino leveled the scores in the 92nd minute of the match.
Besiktas vs Rio Ave Team News
Rio Ave will have a near fully-fit squad to select from for this important Europa League fixture as only Junio is out injured. Junio will be out for Rio Ave until the end of November. Meanwhile, Besiktas will be missing Georges-Kevin N’Koudou and Oguzhan Ozyakup. Nicolas Isimat-Mirin is also a slight doubt for the home side.
Besiktas vs Rio Ave Prediction
Rio Ave are a team very much on the up, as they have finished fifth in their domestic league in two of the last three seasons. However, Besiktas have European pedigree and this challenge could be too much for them.
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