Northern Ireland will be bidding to make it back-to-back wins in the Nations League when they do battle with Bulgaria at the Stadion Hristo Botev on Sunday evening.
Michael O'Neill’s men made a winning start in Group C3 by landing a well-deserved 2-0 success agaisnt Luxembourg in Belfast on Thursday night.
That victory means the Green and White Army’s only defeat across their last six matches has come against reigning European champions Spain.
Seeking to keep the feelgood factor flowing, Northern Ireland will be targeting another positive result in Plovdiv this weekend.
The Bulgarians kicked off their campaign with a drab 0-0 draw away at Belarus on Thursday night, though they did play out the last 15 minutes of the game with 10 men.
Like Northern Ireland, Bulgaria failed to qualify for Euro 2024, however they will draw confidence from the fact that they are currently unbeaten in seven matches.
How the bookies view it: Bulgaria to bank maximum points
Bulgaria go into their maiden home game of the campaign as 29/20 favourites on Bet 365
Northern Ireland have been priced up as 15/8 (Bet 365) outsiders while a point apiece in Plovdiv is trading at 9/4 (Bet 365).
Head to head: History favours the hosts
The two nations crossed swords during World Cup 2022 qualifying, with Bulgaria triumphing 2-1 on home soil, while the reverse fixture in Belfast finished goalless. That pair of results extended the Lions’ unbeaten run over Northern Ireland to five matches.
Players to watch: Bradley to land a blow?
Conor Bradley put in another man of the match performance for Northern Ireland during their 2-0 over Luxembourg on Thursday night. The Liverpool ace has scored three goals across his last four appearances for this country, making him an appealing prospect for an anytime strike here at 17/2 (Bet 365).
Kiril Despodov, who earned his 50th cap for Bulgaria against Belarus, is 10/3 (Bet 365) to notch his 15th goal on the international stage on Sunday evening.
Predicted line-ups
Bulgaria will be without Filip Krastrev following his red card against Belarus on matchday one.
Following Thursday night's 2-0 win over Luxembourg, Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neil is expected to go with the same starting XI at the Stadion Hristo Botev.
Bulgaria: Dyulgerov; Tombak, Petkov, Antov, Lyaskov; Gruev, Kostadinov; Despodov, Antov, M. Minchev; G. Minchev
Northern Ireland: Peacock-Farrell; Ballard, McNair, Brown; Bradley, McCann, S. Charles, Lewis; McCausland; D. Charles, Magennis
Anything else catch the eye?
Bulgaria’s aforementioned stalemate with Belarus means they have drawn each of their last four matches, all of which have featured under 2.5 goals.
Five of Northern Ireland's last six matches have also failed to break the over 2.5 goal barrier, with O’Neil’s men avoiding defeat in five of those six contests.
Thus, backing the away team in the double chance market alongside under four match goals could be worthy of interest at 4/5 with Bet 365.
This particular combination would have clicked in five of the visitors' last six outings across all competitions.
This UEFA Nations League match between Bulgaria and Northern Ireland will be played on Sep 8, 2024 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Bulgaria vs Northern Ireland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
