SWITZERLAND will be going for goals against Bulgaria as they bid to jump above Italy to secure the automatic World Cup qualification place in Group C.
The Azzurri should have wrapped up top spot when they faced the Swiss in Rome on Friday but Jorginho missed a late penalty in the 1-1 draw that busted the coupon of our man Tolu.
The European champions still lead the section but only by two goals and Italy arguably have the tougher final game away to Northern Ireland.
So the Swiss will be going for the throat when Bulgaria come calling as they bid to outscore the Italians and secure their ticket to Qatar 2022.
They won 3-1 in Sofia to kick off their Group C campaign and will fancy their chances of a heavy win at home to a Bulgaria side with nothing to play for.
The Bulgarians did stun Italy with a 1-1 draw in Florence but they also crashed 3-1 away to Lithuania to sum up how flaky their form is.
How the bookies view it
It's no surprise to see Switzerland as red-hot favourites at a best 1/8 with SkyBet while Bulgaria are a whopping 45/1 for a shock win at BetVictor. Even the draw is massive at 21/2at Unibet.
Head to head
Switzerland have the edge in clashes with Bulgaria, winning five of the 11 meetings and losing just twice. They are unbeaten in the last four meetings and that 3-1 win earlier in Group C (below) followed a victory by the same score when Bulgaria last came calling in 2011.
Bulgaria vs Switzerland | Highlights – YouTube
Players to watch
Xherdan Shaqiri could hold the key to Switzerland breaking down the Bulgarian defence. He's been getting much more game time at Lyon than he did at Liverpool and is 11/10 with Paddy Power for anytime scorer. Backing him for an assist might be a better option but I've yet to find prices on that market.
Todor Nedelev was Bulgaria's matchwinner in their last competitive game as his double downed Northern Ireland. He has been in good form for Botev Plovdiv and looks overpriced at 10/1 for a goal here with Unibet.
Anything else catch the eye?
The Swiss need to go for it should it bodes well for goals but you have to go for over 3.5 goals to find value at evens with SkyBet. Both teams to score looks decent though at 17/10 with SBK given Switzerland will commit players forward and leave gaps at the back. That bet has also landed in the last two meetings.
An early goal would whip up the crowd and Bet365 are offering 12/5 on the deadlock being broken inside the first 10 minutes. Switzerland will need to keep pressing for the whole game and that makes the 5/6 on offer at SBK for them to win both halves another decent option, especially for accas.
This World Cup match between Switzerland and Bulgaria will be played on Nov 15, 2021 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Switzerland vs Bulgaria prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
