Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
Bulgaria
Ireland
Bulgaria and Ireland will face off in a UEFA Nations League playoff match on Thursday, March 20, at 20:45 CET. I'm suggesting a bet on goals in this game.
Bulgaria vs Ireland: match facts and head-to-head encounters
- Bulgaria is unbeaten at home in five consecutive matches: three draws and two wins.
- Ireland has won only one of their last five away matches.
- Bulgaria has conceded at least one goal in three consecutive games.
- Both teams score in both halves in only 10% of matches.
- Bulgaria concedes in both halves in 50% of matches.
- Ireland lost 60% of their matches without scoring a goal.
- Four of the last five head-to-head matches between Ireland and Bulgaria ended in a draw. In one encounter, the Irish won 3-1.
Bulgaria vs Ireland: match preview
Bulgaria had a relatively stable group stage in the Nations League. Their only defeat was a heavy 0-5 loss to Northern Ireland. Besides that, the Bulgarians drew three times and secured two victories—against Luxembourg and Northern Ireland. In the end, the team accumulated nine points over six rounds, trailing Northern Ireland by two points, which led them to the playoff match.
Ireland competed in League B and now must fight to retain their place in the division. The campaign was challenging: two victories over Finland (2-1 and 1-0) and four defeats without scoring, with an aggregate score of 0-11. Nevertheless, these two wins kept their survival hopes alive, despite a goal difference of 3-12.
Probable lineups
- Bulgaria: Mitov; Popov, S. Petrov, A. Petkov, Nurnberger; Panayotov, Kraev, Milanov; M. Petkov, Kolev, Kirilov.
- Ireland: Kelleher; Doherty, Collins, O'Shea, Brady; Moran, Cullen, Knight, Johnston; Parrott, Ferguson.
Prediction
Both teams are eager to maintain their place in League B, but they are unlikely to take significant risks in the first meeting. I'm betting on under 2.5 goals with odds of 1.48.
