Bulgaria are still seeking their first win in the 2024 European Championship qualifiers as they host Group G leaders Serbia on Tuesday. The Serbians have been near perfect lately and should prove too strong for the out of sorts hosts.
It has been a poor qualifying campaign for Bulgaria so far as they have suffered two defeats and played out one draw in three matches. Mladen Krstajic's men are currently bottom of the standings with just one point, even below Lithuania.
Bulgaria’s only point in Group G came last time out in the qualifiers as they battled to a 1-1 draw in Lithuania. They fought back from a goal with Marin Petkov getting the equaliser and despite playing much of the contest against 10 men, failed to find the winner.
Having been away in their last two qualifying matches, Bulgaria will be hoping for some home comfort on Tuesday. However, they have won just once in their last four matches across all competitions in front of their fans, with a 5-2 defeat to Georgia and a 1-0 loss to Montenegro along their results in that run.
Serbia warmed up for the trip to Bulgaria with a 3-2 victory over Jordan in a Friendly last Thursday. Strahinja Erakovic opened the scoring early in the first half while a late brace from Dejan Joveljic ensured they claimed the win.
That was the fourth straight win across all competition for Serbia, who have impressed in recent times. Two of those wins have come in the Euro qualifiers as they claimed 2-0 victories over Lithuania and Montenegro in their opening two matches in Group G.
While Serbia boast plenty of quality going forward, one of their biggest strengths is their compact defence. Manager Dragan Stojkovic often sets his team up to be difficult to break down and they are yet to concede a goal in the qualifiers.
How the bookies view it
Serbia have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 8/15 by William Hill. A victory for Bulgaria is valued at 13/2 by bet365 while 10bet is offering odds of 31/10 for a draw.
Head to head
Serbia have two wins and a draw while Bulgaria have been victorious just once in four previous matches. The last meeting between both teams was a friendly in 2010 which ended 1-0 in favour of the Serbians.
Players to watch
With star names like Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic not included in this squad, Dejan Joveljic appears to be grabbing his opportunity to shine. Having netted a brace against Georgia last time out, the forward could be worth keeping an eye on to find the net on Tuesday at 5/4 with bet365.
Serbia are often tight and compact and the back, and have still not conceded a goal in Group G. Centre-back Strahinja Erakovic has impressed lately and could lead the Serbians to a third straight clean sheet in the qualifiers at 10/11 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Serbia have won to nil in their two qualifying matches and could be set for a similar outcome at 11/8 with BetVictor. Given the quality in their attacks, a -1 handicap could also be considered at 6/4 with Paddy Power.
The Serbians have seen more goals after the break in their last two matches and Tuesday’s clash can follow a similar pattern at 23/20 with William Hill.
This Euro 2024 match between Bulgaria and Serbia will be played on Jun 20, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Bulgaria vs Serbia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
