Northern Ireland vs Bulgaria (15/10/2024)

SCOUTING REPORT

Bulgaria play with a relatively high defensive line and look to defend from the front. Their pressing approach was demonstrated against Northern Ireland last month when Aleksandar Kolev swiftly closed down Daniel Ballard as he looked to receive a pass from Bailey Peacock-Farrell. Kolev subsequently won possession and squared the ball to Kiril Despodov to score what turned out to be the winning goal. STRENGTHS Bulgaria are well organised defensively and had kept four clean sheets in their previous six matches prior to hosting Luxembourg on Saturday. Central defenders Zhivko Atanasov and Aleks Petkov are both commanding presences at the back, each standing at 6ft 3in tall. Speaking after the defeat in Plovdiv, Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill said of Bulgaria; “We knew it would be a tough game against a team we know have a lot of physicality, a lot of power in their team.” In terms of attacking threat, Bulgaria’s star man is captain Kiril Despodov. Voted Bulgarian Footballer of the Year in 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023, the Kresna-born winger is a wonderful technician who is comfortable running with the ball at his feet, crossing and also making late runs into the opposition penalty area to score. A set-piece specialist, Despodov takes Bulgaria’s corners and free-kicks within goal range. He scored a free-kick for the national team against Tanzania in March and struck a similar effort against Northern Ireland’s woodwork when the two teams met in Plovdiv. POSSIBLE LINE-UP GK Dimitar Mitov LB Fabian Nürnberger CB Zhivko Atanasov CB Aleks Petkov RB Viktor Popov DM Georgi Kostadinov DM Ivaylo Chochev AML Martin Minchev AMC Radoslav Kirilov AMR Kiril Despodov FW Aleksandar Kolev

Andy Greeves takes a closer look at Bulgaria ahead of this evening’s UEFA Nations League game in Belfast. LOWDOWN Ilian Iliev’s Bulgaria went into their match with Luxembourg on Saturday with four points on the board after their opening two UEFA Nations League Group C3 matches. After a goalless draw in Belarus, they achieved a 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland in Plovdiv last month. Bulgaria are currently ranked 81st in the world – a far cry from the 1990s when their excellent tournament showings saw them peak in eighth position in the rankings in June 1995. With star players such as Hristo Stoichkov, Emil Kostadinov and Yordan Letchkov, the Lions reached the semi-finals of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, while the nation also qualified for UEFA Euro 1996 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup during the decade. Bulgaria have only made it to one major tournament since - UEFA Euro 2004. The man charged with reviving Bulgaria’s footballing fortunes is Ilian Iliev, who was appointed as national team manager in November 2023. Interestingly Iliev - who was in Bulgaria’s playing squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup - combines this role with his managerial job at his hometown team Cherno More. TACTICS Iliev’s Bulgaria side typically line up in a 4-2 3-1 formation. Wide players such as Martin Minchev and Kiril Despodov look to join the Lions’ attacking moves and their formation appears more like a 4-3-3 when they are advancing up the field.

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