Georgia vs Bulgaria prediction, H2H and probable lineups - September 7, 2025
One of the second-round matches in the European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup will take place on Sunday at the Boris Paichadze Stadium in Tbilisi, where Georgia will host Bulgaria. I’m offering a bet on the result of this clash with promising odds for a successful outcome.
Match preview
Georgia opened their qualifying campaign with a 2-3 loss to Turkey, but managed to mount a spirited comeback after falling behind by three goals. Willy Sagnol’s side once again demonstrated their fighting spirit, scoring twice after the break, and only ran out of time to avoid defeat.
Georgia is a team on the rise — their Euro 2024 playoff berth and victory over Portugal speak for themselves. The team’s key figures, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Georges Mikautadze, boast top-level experience, and their performances will be crucial to the outcome of this upcoming fixture.
Bulgaria started their campaign with a heavy 0-3 defeat to Spain, and by halftime the match was essentially lost across all departments. A lack of defensive organization and creative weakness in attack have forced Ilian Iliev to search for new solutions in his lineup.
Bulgaria hasn’t featured in the finals of a major tournament since Euro 2004. To keep their playoff hopes alive, it’s vital to pick up points against direct rivals, making this showdown in Tbilisi a real litmus test for Iliev’s project.
Probable lineups
- Georgia: Mamardashvili; Kakuabadze, Kashia, Goglichidze, Lochoshvili; Tsitaishvili, Kochkorashvili, Mekvabishvili, Davitashvili; Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia
- Bulgaria: Vutsov; Nedyalkov, Dimitrov, Tesnov, Bozhinov; Gruev, Petkov; Minkov, Chochev, Kirilov; Despodov
Match facts and head-to-head
- Georgia have won only two of their eight head-to-head meetings with Bulgaria.
- Bulgaria have not won an official match since June 2023.
- Georgia reached the Euro 2024 playoffs and beat Portugal in the group stage.
Prediction
Both teams are desperate for points after a disappointing start, but home advantage and Georgia’s attacking potential should prove decisive. Our bet: "Georgia to win with a -1.0 handicap" at odds of 1.74.
