Northern Ireland v Bulgaria

MIDFIELDERS

KRISTIYAN MALINOV OH LEUVEN

BIRSENT KARAGAREN LOKOMOTIV PLOVDIV

MARTIN RAYNOV LEVSKI SOFIA

Age 28 Caps 8 Goals 0

Age 27 Caps 20 Goals 0

Age 28 Caps 8 Goals 0

Malinov played for Litex Lovech and CSKA Sofia in his native Bulgaria before joining Belgian side OH Leuven, who share owners with Leicester City. He made his debut for Bulgaria in 2015 and has only become a regular over the past two years after winning three caps between 2015 and 2018.

Has spent his entire career in Bulgaria and came through the ranks having debuted in the third tier with Asenovets. Won the Bulgarian Cup in back-to-back years with Lokomotiv Plovdiv. Karagaren’s first call-up for the senior national team came in October 2019. In six of his eight appearances he has come off the bench.

A defensive-minded central midfielder who has spent the past two years with Levski Sofia and his entire career in Bulgaria. Raynov’s first seven caps before this international break were won between 2017 and 2018, although he was an unused substitute in the 3-0 win over Gibraltar in November.

GEORGI KOSTADINOV ARSENAL TULA

IVAYLO CHOCHEV CSKA 1948

ANTONIO VUTOV MEZOKOVESDI

Age 30 Caps 27 Goals 3

Age 28 Caps 20 Goals

Age 24 Caps 0 Goals 0

Kostadinov plays his club football for Russian Premier League side Arsenal Tula after joining in 2018. Prior to that he won two league titles and a cup with Ludogorets, although he was in and out of the team. All three of his international goals came in 2017 in World Cup qualifiers against Belarus, Sweden and the Netherlands.

Best known for a five-year spell with Italian club Palermo, whom he joined shortly after Kyle Lafferty had left. Joined Pescara but never played for the club having suffered a serious injury shortly before moving. His most memorable international goal was the winner in a 3-2 victory over Sweden.

Vutov came into this international break having yet to make his senior bow, however he has already represented Bulgaria Under- 17s, Under-19s and Under-21s. He was the youngest ever player to appear for Levski Sofia when he debuted aged 15. Now plays his club football in Hungary.

ILIAN ILIEV CHERNO MORE

PETAR VITANOV LOKOMOTIV PLOVDIV

MOMCHIL TSVETANOV LOKOMOTIV PLOVDIV

Age 21 Caps 1 Goals 0

Age 26 Caps 1 Goals 0

Age 30 Caps 2 Goals 0

The son of former Benfica midfielder Ilian Iliev Senior, who manages Cherno More and played for Bulgaria at the 1998 World Cup. Iliev Junior spent time in Portugal earlier in his career before returning to Cherno More. He made five appearances for Bulgaria’s Under-21s in U21 Euro 2021 qualifiers.

Vitanov is with the senior squad for the first time in his career having previously represented Bulgaria at Under-19 level. A defensive-minded midfielder – he is yet to score a goal in Bulgaria’s top flight – Vitanov has previously won Bulgarian Cups with both CSKA Sofia and Lokomotiv Plovdiv.

Like Vitanov, Tsvetanov is a midfielder for Lokomotiv who has been called up off the back of his form for the Bulgarian high- fliers. Prior to this month Tsvetanov had already scored four times in the league for Lokomotiv. He has won two league titles and six Bulgarian Cups in his career.

STRIKERS

ANDREY GALABINOV SPEZIA

DIMITAR ILIEV LOKOMOTIV PLOVDIV

GEORGI YOMOV CSKA SOFIA

Age 32 Caps 12 Goals 2

Age 32 Caps 7 Goals 2

Age 23 Caps 5 Goals 2

Has spent all of his career in Italy after moving to the country at the age of 16. Both of his international goals came in 2014 and, prior to this international break, his most recent cap was won in 2017. Started this season in good form, scoring three times in Serie A newcomers Spezia’s first two games.

Iliev was named Bulgarian Footballer of the Year in 2019 and 2020 and has reached double figures in goals in each of the past three seasons with Lokomotiv Plovdiv. That form extended onto the international stage as well, with Iliev scoring both of his international goals in the previous window in November.

Has spent his entire career so far in Sofia – though he has played for Levski, Slavia and CSKA. A Bulgarian international at Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 level, Yomov scored on his senior bow after coming on in the 3-1 loss to Hungary in October. Was also on target against Gibraltar in November.

KIRIL DESPODOV LUDOGORETS

SPAS DELEV ARDA

ATANAS ILIEV BOTEV PLOVDIV

Age 24 Caps 16 Goals 2

Age 31 Caps 31 Goals 2

Age 26 Caps 2 Goals 0

Despodov was named Bulgarian Footballer of the Year in 2018, becoming the first CSKA Sofia player to win the award since the great Hristo Stoichkov did so in 1989. He is currently on loan with Ludogorets from Italian club Cagliari. Scored his first international goal against Cyprus in 2018 and scored against Switzerland in a World Cup qualifier last week.

Made his debut for the senior side a decade ago. Delev’s only two international goals prior to this break came in a memorable 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Has spent most of his career in Bulgaria but also had spells in Turkey, Spain and Poland.

Iliev is one of the Bulgarian top flight’s in-form strikers having scored 13 times in his first 18 appearances this season. He was previously a prolific marksman in the second tier – reaching double figures in three straight years with Montana before moving to his current club.

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