After an extremely eventful first half of the qualification cycle, Turkey can secure second place in Group E by beating Bulgaria again on Saturday. Even a draw would be enough for the Crescent-Stars, but last month’s thrashing in the reverse fixture suggests an outright win.
Turkey bounced back from the devastating 6-0 loss at the hands of the European champions by crushing the other two members of Group E. Last month’s international break saw them win 4-1 over Georgia and 6-1 away in Bulgaria.
Mathematically, the Crescent-Stars still have a shot at claiming automatic qualification, but for that to happen, Spain must fail in Tbilisi and Turkey have to beat Bulgaria again.
Meanwhile, the Lions are chasing records, but not the good type. The latest devastating WCQ cycle could be their worst since 1954, when they last failed to win a single qualification match. Bulgaria lost all four games to date, scoring a single goal against 16 conceded. And overall, the visitors have not won a match in exactly a year, when they beat Luxembourg 1-0 away.
How the bookies view it: Another devastating trip for Bulgaria
After Turkey's resounding victory in Bulgaria a month ago, bookmakers do not believe that the visitors have any chance in the rematch. That is why the odds are completely non-existent for the hosts, with you being able to pick them at around 1/10.
For comparison, Bulgaria are available at 28/1, while even the draw seems impossible at 10/1.
Recent head-to-head: Turkey put six past Bulgaria in October
Bulgaria and Turkey have not met a lot of times for neighbouring countries, with last month’s clash being their first in a decade. We all know that the Crescent-Stars had their way away in Bulgaria with 6-1, but they also won four of the last five H2Hs.
Bulgaria’s last win over Turkey dates back to 2005, when they won 3-1 in Sofia.
Players to watch: Calhanoglu and Yildiz to showcase Serie A’s best football again
Inter’s Hakan Calhanoglu continues to dominate the midfield at 31, and has provided four assists in the four games during this cycle, including two against Bulgaria last month.
Kenan Yildiz was Turkey’s other best player in the recent International break, scoring in both games against Bulgaria and Georgia. He hasn’t been involved in many goals for Juventus lately, but this is a great opportunity to put his name on the scoresheet again.
Probable line-ups
Turkey: Cakir, Muldur, Demiral, Bardakci, Kadioglu, Yuksek, Calhanoglu, Aydin, Guler, Yildiz, Akturkoglu
Bulgaria: Mitov, Petkov, Chernev, Hristov, Nedyalkov, Kirilov, Filip, Gruev, Shopov, Minchev, Despodov
Anything else catch the eye?
The reality is that Bulgaria are both completely defenceless and toothless in attack. Their only qualification goal came in the reverse fixture last month and we can’t even expect them to score in this case.
We expect Turkey to score at least three or four goals as a start, since the Lions conceded 3+ in each of their four matches to date. There are several options to choose from with confidence – Turkey & Over 3.5, Turkey to win both halves, and Turkey to win with three or more goals difference.
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