Northern Ireland vs Bulgaria predictions: Lions likely to stand firm in Belfast
- Northern Ireland are winless in six meetings with the Lions
- Bulgaria have drawn seven of their last nine games
- Recommended bet: Draw
In a tightly-contested Group 3 of League C in the 2024-25 Nations League, just one point separates Bulgaria and Northern Ireland with three group-stage games remaining.
That suggests Tuesday’s clash in Belfast could be a tight affair, with both sides looking to keep things tight as they aim to make it out of the section.
Team news
Teenager Pierce Charles should continue in goal for the hosts in the absence of injured duo Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Conor Hazard.
Forwards Lee Bonis and Dion Charles are among those pushing to start on Tuesday.
Leeds midfielder Ilia Gruev is a notable absentee for Bulgaria, who will look to captain Kiril Despodov — the scorer of their last two Nations League goals — for inspiration.
The stats
Northern Ireland have won their last three home matches to nil.
Bulgaria are unbeaten in their last nine games, but have drawn seven of those fixtures.
The Green and White Army are winless in six meetings with the Lions.
Bulgaria have only lost two of their last nine competitive games.
Centre-back Daniel Ballard has scored two of Northern Ireland’s last five goals.
Six of Bulgaria's last eight away games have finished with fewer than three goals.
Prediction
Bulgaria were deserved 1-0 winners when these sides met in Plovdiv last month but home advantage could see Northern Ireland earn a point against the joint-group leaders this time around.
The Green and White Army have won their last three home games to nil, impressively beating Denmark 2-0 to kickstart that run.
O’Neil’s men will be confident due to that record and an expecting Windsor Park crowd will drum up a decent atmosphere, but Bulgaria are no pushovers and the hosts may have to settle for a draw.
The Lions are unbeaten in nine matches, despite playing solid sides such as Hungary, Romania and Slovenia in that run, although winning has been an issue for them during that sequence.
They have only two wins to show for their unbeaten streak and the fact they have netted just two goals in their last five outings will be a worry for boss Ilian Iliev.
However, they are unbeaten in six games against Northern Ireland — who themselves have struggled for goals lately, blanking in their last two games — and should hold out for a point, even if a win does evade them once again.
Just one point separates these sides in a congested section and the pair’s solid defences should stand firm against each other’s misfiring attacks, with a low-scoring draw a very likely outcome.
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