Ireland vs Bulgaria prediction, H2H and probable lineups - March 23, 2025
The second leg of the Nations League 2024/25 playoff between Ireland and Bulgaria will take place on March 23 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. In the first encounter, the Irish secured a 2-1 victory, but Bulgaria will have to work hard to turn the tide on their opponent's home turf. I suggest betting on goals in this match with good odds.
Match preview
Heimir Hallgrímsson's squad claimed an important away victory in the first Nations League playoff match, defeating Bulgaria 2-1. This allowed Ireland to record their fifth win in the Nations League history, with three of those victories coming in the current campaign.
It's worth noting that the Irish have scored more than one goal only for the second time in the last seven Nations League matches. To retain their place in League B, they just need to avoid losing in regular time of the second leg. However, it's important to consider that on home soil, the Irish have struggled for consistency, failing to win in regular time in eight of their last 11 Nations League matches (three draws and five losses).
Ilian Iliev's team suffered a defeat in the first Nations League playoff match, marking their second loss in the last 11 tournament encounters (four wins and five draws). It's also only the third time in the last eight matches that Bulgaria has conceded. To secure a place in League B, Bulgaria needs to win by at least a two-goal margin within 90 minutes.
If they win by a one-goal margin, extra time will be played. It's worth noting that the team has not won in regular time in 9 of their last 11 away Nations League matches, recording five draws and four losses.
Probable lineups
- Ireland: Caoimhín Kelleher – Dara O'Shea, Nathan Collins, Nathan Collins, Ryan Manning – Jason Knight – Josh Cullen, Robbie Brady, Finn Azaz, Mikey Johnston – Troy Parrott
- Bulgaria: Dimitar Mitov – Anton Nedyalkov, Aleks Petkov, Viktor Popov, Fabian Nürnberger – Andrian Kraev, Filip Krastev, Ilia Gruev, Marin Petkov – Kiril Despodov, Filip Krastev
Match facts and head-to-head
- In the last five matches, Ireland has beaten Bulgaria twice, without losing
- The "both teams to score" bet has hit in 4 out of 5 matches
- The "over 2.5 goals" bet has hit in two out of five matches
Prediction
Bookmakers favor Ireland, offering odds of 1.70 for a home win. We believe the Irish will come out on top again, and our bet is on "Ireland to win."
