FC Arouca vs CD Nacional prediction: expected goals, form and verdict
Our model makes it 2.27 to 0.64 on expected goals, with 55.7% for over 2.5 goals in the Primeira Liga.
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Match Overview & What Is At Stake
FC Arouca host CD Nacional in the Primeira Liga, kicking off Sunday 1 November at 15:30 UTC. Our expected-goals model projects 2.27 for the hosts and 0.64 for the visitors, a combined 2.91 goals against a competition norm of 2.70.
FC Arouca are a clear favourite at 73.4%, with the draw back at 18.8%.
The sections below set out what the record actually shows: recent results, the meetings we hold, and what the model builds on top of them.
Form Guide & Scoring Trends
FC Arouca — last 10: W-W-D-L-D-W-L-W-W-W (most recent first). That is 15 scored and 8 conceded, 1.50 and 0.80 per game. Both teams scored in 4 of the 10, and 5 went past 2.5 goals. They kept 5 clean sheets in the run. Restricted to matches at home, that reads W-L-W-W-W across 5, 11 scored and 4 conceded.
CD Nacional — last 10: W-L-L-L-L-L-L-W-D-W (most recent first). That is 12 scored and 18 conceded, 1.20 and 1.80 per game. Both teams scored in 4 of the 10, and 5 went past 2.5 goals. They kept 3 clean sheets in the run. Restricted to matches away from home, that reads L-L-L-D-L across 5, 4 scored and 10 conceded.
Head-to-Head Record
Across the 6 meetings on record, FC Arouca have won 5, CD Nacional 0, with 1 drawn. That covers their domestic league meetings; cup ties and European meetings are not included.
The most recent came on 21 Feb 2026: FC Arouca 3-0 CD Nacional.
Tactical Read: What The Numbers Say
The model expects 2.91 goals in this fixture, above the Primeira Liga norm of 2.70, which is where the goals markets rather than the result markets tend to pay.
FC Arouca carry the larger share of that expectation, at 2.27 against 0.64. Both teams to score sits at 43.4%, and over 2.5 goals at 55.7% — read together, that is a match the model expects to stay compressed.
Expected Goals & Probability Outlook
Every figure here comes from the same Dixon-Coles adjusted Poisson model, run on the scoring rates above.
| Market | Model probability |
|---|---|
| FC Arouca win | 73.4% |
| Draw | 18.8% |
| CD Nacional win | 7.8% |
| Both teams to score | 43.4% |
| Over 2.5 goals | 55.7% |
The likeliest exact scorelines are 2-0 at 14%, 1-0 at 11.3%, 3-0 at 10.6%. No single scoreline is ever likely in absolute terms — that is the nature of football — but the shape of the distribution is what the selections below are drawn from.
Published selections
- Over 2.5 Match Yellow Cards: Over 2.5 Cards — 86.5% confidence. Expected yellow cards 6.4 against a league baseline of 3.9.
- First Half Over 0.5 Goals: 1H Over 0.5 — 69.6% confidence. First-half expected goals 1.16, at a fitted 45% share of the match total.
- Over 8.5 Match Corners: Over 8.5 Corners — 60.5% confidence. Expected corners 9.8 against a league baseline of 9.6.
- Match Winner: Home Win — 54% confidence. Expected goals 1.61 - 0.98 against a Primeira Liga baseline of 1.33 per side; FC Arouca rate 0.31 clear on the fitted ratings.
- Match Outcome (W/D/L): Home Win — 54% confidence. Expected goals 1.61 - 0.98 against a Primeira Liga baseline of 1.33 per side; FC Arouca rate 0.31 clear on the fitted ratings.
- Both Teams To Score (GG): NG (No) — 49.6% confidence. Expected goals 1.61 - 0.98, so the weaker attack still projects 0.98 goals.
- Over 2.5 Goals: Under 2.5 — 49.5% confidence. Expected total goals 2.58, from 1.61 - 0.98 (Primeira Liga baseline 1.33 per side).
- Most Scoring Half: 2nd Half — 43.2% confidence. Expected goals 1.16 before the break and 1.42 after, at a fitted 45% first-half share.
- Leading At Half Time: HT Home Win — 40.4% confidence. Expected goals 1.61 - 0.98, which projects a 42% chance of a level score at the break.
Score Prediction & Verdict
Prediction: 2-0 — a FC Arouca win, and the likeliest scoreline within that result at 14%.
Confidence: High. The model puts a FC Arouca win at 73.4%, with the draw at 18.8%.
The call rests on the scoring rates above holding up. It is wrong if this becomes the tight, low-event match the goals numbers argue against, and the margin here leaves less room for that than most.
Predictions are modelled probabilities, not certainties. Bet responsibly.
