Three valuable points will be up for grabs as Rivers United and Academica Petroleos Clube do Lobito go head-to-head on Sunday evening. Which of these teams will reign supreme after 90 minutes?
Group C; 4 teams, 1 dream. 💭
That first #TotalEnergiesCAFCC trophy. 🏆
Yes we can 🛜💯 pic.twitter.com/cpdnt5huPo
— Rivers United FC (@RiversUnitedFC) November 22, 2023
It's worth mentioning that both teams will kick off their CAF Confederations Cup campaign today. Bearing that in mind, here's how we believe these sides will line up for this mouthwatering clash:
Rivers United vs Academica Petroleos probable lineups
Rivers United
Goalkeeper: Abiodun Asimiyu.
Defenders: Kazie Godswill, Ebedebiri Endurance, Anthony Ohaegbu, Paul Odeh.
Midfielders: Paul Acquah, Adom Antwi, Alex Oyowah.
Strikers: Ossy Martins, Nyima Nwagua, Suleiman Abba.
Academia Petroleos
Goalkeeper: Paulo Badrick.
Defenders: André Ngimbi, Filipe Caprego, Adi Boyo, Amor Matu.
Midfielders: Anderson Guelor, Eliseu Bicho, Sambo Luemba.
Strikers: Gaio Tomás, Makusa Lemi, Samuel Telmo.
Rivers United vs Academica Petroleos confirmed lineups
*Lineups will be automatically updated shortly after they're released
Rivers United vs Academica Petroleos predictions
Prediction 1: Academica Petroleos not to lose
Being the team with the advantage of playing at home, Rivers United are the bookies' favourites to win this match.
However, Stanley Eguma's men have not particularly enjoyed their best form in recent weeks; as they managed one win in their last four matches.
Academia Petroleos, on the other hand, have put up a fairly good run of results lately. They lost just once in their last eight matches across all competitions, with three wins and four draws.
Considering Rivers United's recent struggles, we believe that Academica Petroleos will steal at least one point from this clash.
Prediction 2: One team will keep a clean sheet
We would like to point out that Academica Petroleos have been able to rely on their defense in recent months. They did not concede a single goal in their last three games, and have kept five clean sheets in their last six matches. That said, at least one team blanked in all of those six games.
In like manner, Rivers United's games have mostly been one-sided when it comes to goals; as both teams scored in just three of their last 11 matches. On that note, we shouldn't expect goals at both ends.
Prediction 3: Less than three total goals
Our last Rivers United vs Academica Petroleos prediction is on the over/under goals market.
We've already established that Academica Petroleos did not concede in five of their last six matches. It may interest you to know that they conceded just once in that six-game stretch.
On that note, it's no surprise that five of Petroleos' last six games produced less than three goals. Likewise, Rivers United have been involved in a lot of low-scoring matches these past few months; as 11 of their last 12 games went below the 2.5 goal threshold. All things considered, this will likely be a low-scoring affair.
Where to watch Rivers United vs Academica Petroleos live
This match will be available on beIN Sports XTRA 3 for fans who live in Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Chad, Djibouti, Mauritania, Somalia and South Sudan.
This article was most recently revised and updated 10 months ago
