Prediction: England vs Bulgaria

Prediction: England win to nil

Best Odds: 2/5

Bookmaker: bet365

The qualification period for UEFA Euro 2020 continues, as we get closer and closer to the big tournament next summer. There are many contenders that will be battling it out for the crown of European champions, but for the time being, all we have to worry about is who is actually going to qualify. The game that we’re going to be taking a look at today will see England go head to head with Bulgaria, in what has actually become something of a David vs Goliath encounter in the last few decades.

England

Despite experiencing disappointment in the UEFA Nations League, it still feels like we could be entering a really important time in the history of the English national team. Football hasn’t quite come home just yet but if Gareth Southgate has anything to do with it, they’ll be giving it a pretty good go. They’re virtually qualified by this point already even after just two games of the group, but they’ll want to make sure they can relax in their last few games by confirming their passage into Euro 2020 before then.

Team News

Wan-Bissaka has withdrawn from the squad due to a back injury, whereas Mount, Maddison and Mings are all tipped to feature – although appearing against Kosovo seems much more likely. Rashford is set to miss out with Sterling, Sancho and Kane getting the nod.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria have often been viewed as the ultimate underdogs of European football, with their crowning moment taking place in 1994 when they reached the semi-final stage of the FIFA World Cup. Now, they’re lucky when they qualify for a tournament at all. There’s a long way to go before they can be viewed as legitimate contenders, but they’re certainly going to do everything in their power to upset the established order against the Three Lions.

Team News

Nedelev, Kostadinov and Chorbadzhiyski are not available despite being featured stars for the Bulgarians in the last few years, with a formation change being expected once again from the visitors.

Factors to Consider

• In their ten games against Bulgaria, England have never lost.
• England have won both of their games in Euro 2020 qualifying.
• Bulgaria have drawn two and lost two of their games in Euro 2020 qualifying.
• England have scored 10 goals and conceded one in qualifying.
• Bulgaria have scored five goals and conceded seven in qualifying.

Conclusion

It seems almost obvious at this point that the World Cup semi-finalists in this game will be taking the three points from this game. The bigger question is whether or not they’ll be able to keep a clean sheet, and if they can then proceed to boost their goal difference even further. England are in a great position to do some really big things at the European Championships next year, and continuing to tear a whole through any and all teams in their path is only going to improve their chances of doing so.

Prediction: England win to nil

Best Odds: 2/5

Bookmaker: bet365