Estonia has gained momentum while Bulgaria squandered another lead: prediction for Bulgaria — Estonia
The second-round UEFA Nations League match between Bulgaria and Estonia will take place on September 29 at Hristo Botev Stadium. Bulgaria opened the tournament with a 1-2 home defeat to Luxembourg, while Estonia held Iceland to a 1-1 draw away from home.
Bulgaria: another lead thrown away
Alexander Dimitrov's side made a poor start to this Nations League campaign. In the opening round, Bulgaria took the lead against Luxembourg but once again failed to hold on to it, eventually losing 1-2.
Before that, Bulgaria had enjoyed a solid start to the year, beating the Solomon Islands and Indonesia, but their results have since become less consistent. With two consecutive away matches ahead, the home meeting with Estonia takes on added importance.
Estonia: one of their best spells in recent years
Estonia come into the match in good shape. Following an unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign, the team won four of their next five matches before the start of the Nations League and lifted the Baltic Cup.
In the opening round, Estonia were trailing Iceland at half-time, but Maksim Paskotsi equalized to help preserve their unbeaten run. Now Jürgen Henn's side will attempt to beat Bulgaria for the first time in history.
Match facts and head-to-head record
- Bulgaria have not lost to Estonia in any of their previous three meetings.
- Estonia won four of their five matches before the start of the Nations League.
- In the opening round, Bulgaria lost 1-2 to Luxembourg, while Estonia drew 1-1 with Iceland.
The visitors can fight back again: prediction for Bulgaria — Estonia
Bulgaria need to respond after their disappointing start, but the team remains inconsistent and have already surrendered a lead more than once during matches. Their problems are compounded by a number of absences, including Ivaylo Chochev, Kiril Despodov and Filip Krastev.
Estonia, by contrast, are enjoying a strong run of confidence and have already shown their character in Iceland. Given the visitors' current form and Bulgaria's problems, this encounter could well end without a winner.
