Betfair Live Video: Saturday night's alright for Porto

23Feb 2013

Betfair

This Saturday, Betfair Live Video offers you a double helping mouth-watering football at it's finest. A top of the table clash down under, followed by a look at the reigning Primeira Liga champions from Portugal - what better way to kick off your weekend?

Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory

Saturday 08:45

If you haven't had one eye on the Australian A-League this season, strewth mate, why not?! With only six games left of the regular season, things are hotting up, as those all-important Final Series places are still a possibility for all ten teams.

The Mariners and the Victory are both in comfortable positions lying first and third respectively, however with only two automatic places up for grabs both know that a late slip-up could see them slide into the playoff's - a lottery you don't want to be included in come the start of April.

Since match day nine, Central Coast Mariners have been sat pretty at the top of the A-League tree seemingly cruising to back-to-back regular season titles. With the best defensive and attacking records in the league, coupled with the unstoppable force of Daniel McBreen upfront, the Mariners could be excused for becoming a little complacent come the end of the season. This complacency, combined with the six back-to-back victories from Western Sydney Wanderers, has seen pressure heaped on the shoulders of Graham Arnold's men as they take a diminished one point lead into this weekend's fixtures.

Last weekend's shock defeat at the hands of struggling Perth Glory has rightfully made the 'yellow army' nervous going into the match at the Bluetongue Stadium. In only their third defeat of the season it was clear that Arnold is feeling the heat of the chasing pack and was quick to criticise his side. "It was probably the worst performance since I've been at the club" was the boss's reaction, a real incentive for a return to winning ways this weekend.

The visitors Melbourne Victory have had a solid season spending the majority of it in third position. After getting off to a sluggish start, last season's eighth placed finishers have looked close to rekindling their form of a few seasons back, and that's largely down to a dramatic turn around in form by rising star Marco Rojas. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder found it tough in his first season with the Victory, failing to find the net despite playing in nearly every fixture. This campaign couldn't be more different for the young Kiwi with him getting on the score sheet twelve times already, however with ten of these coming on home turf the travelling Victory supporters will be praying to witness a rare away goal by the youngster this time round.

With this fixture producing two score draws already this season it won't come as a surprise that this has the potential to be a very cagey encounter. Three points for either side would prove a huge step towards a possible regular season title, with both sides keeping one eye on affairs in Sydney hoping the Wanderers express train comes to an immediate halt. Expect a nervous Mariners side to take the share of the spoils... just.

Recommended Bet:

Back the Mariners @ 1.78

Back 2-1 Mariners @ 8.8

Porto vs Rio Ave

Saturday 20:15

Porto's latest three points will come thanks to a solid home victory over Rio Ave this Saturday... capice?

On the face of it the Portuguese Primiera league seems to be that much of a formality this season. With identical records bar goals conceded, Porto and Benfica have parted company with the rest of the division and in Ali - Frazier fashion are slugging it out punch for punch at the top of the table. Both taking 49 points from a possible 57 and both notching up 47 goals along the way it seems the only thing that can stop them is each other - however we all know in football that anything can happen.

Porto welcome visitors Rio Ave to the Estadio do Dragao this Saturday evening with their sights firmly set on their sixteenth victory of the season. After a Tuesday night Champions League victory over Malaga fresh in the player's minds, confidence will be high as they look to take a three-point advantage over Benfica, for 24 hours at least.

In Jackson Martinez there is little doubt that the reining champions have the leagues hottest property. With twenty goals already in his debut season and averaging at more than a goal a game, the Colombian striker is attracting a lot of attention from an on-looking Europe and proving a more than adequate replacement for Hulk who departed in the summer.

However, Rio Ave are no pushovers. Holding Porto to one of their only four draws this season proved that fact, and they will travel to the Estadio do Dragao full of hope rather than expectation. Lying in fifth place and unbeaten in four, the boys from Vila do Conde will see this as a bonus fixture perhaps putting an emphasis on damage limitation.

After clambering out of a relegation dog fight last campaign, the visitors have already gathered more points this season than they did in the whole of the last - good enough a reason for the 'Big River' fans to see this season as a success already.

Everything tells you that this result is only going one way, Porto's way. Expect goals and chances but above all expect one-way traffic. Miracles do happen in football, and the unexpected can sometimes be expected... just not this time.

Recommended Bet

Back Porto to win @ 1.23

Back a Porto clean sheet @ 1.76

Back over 3.5 goals @ 2.66