Wales vs Bulgaria
Ryan Giggs’ Wales continue their UEFA Nations League campaign with a home match against Bulgaria at the Cardiff City Stadium on Sunday.
The ultimate aim is to win promotion to League A and join the finest teams and players in Europe, and this game became all the more exciting for Wales fans after the opening round of fixtures put Wales in charge of Group B4.
Another victory against an ageing and out-of-sorts Bulgaria would give Giggs’ team a handy lead in the early stages of the competition and give the Wales boss some serious momentum.
Talking Points
Perfect start for Wales’ young guns
Here at SBOTOP, we covered Wales’ opener and an away trip to Finland was a tough start for Giggs’ men.
The hosts had the better of a game which offered few chances at either end, and it looked like we were heading for a goalless draw until Wigan striker Kieffer Moore popped up to snatch the points with just 10 minutes remaining on the clock.
It was another good result for Giggs, making it three wins on the bounce for the first time in his tenure, and the UEFA Nations League 2020 betting odds already back the Dragons to win the group.
This competition has been a welcome introduction, seeing the end of a meaningless series of friendly games. But it is also a chance for head coaches to see where their players are up to and try to develop some younger stars.
Giggs is doing just that by giving 19-year-old Dylan Levitt a start against Finland. The young midfielder looked at home alongside club colleague Dan James who also put in an impressive performance, showing great pace and delivery to set up the only goal of the game.
Joe Morrell made his presence felt with a battling display and Liverpool’s 23-year-old forward Harry Wilson made a positive impact when he replaced Gareth Bale at halftime.
It’s all looking bright for Wales fans who might just see a golden generation on the way.
Bulgaria’s old guard will struggle to keep pace
The visitors present a striking contrast with a squad containing 13 players over the age of 30.
Head coach Georgi Dermendzhiev is picking from a group of players who predominantly play in the Bulgarian league and he has no big names to inspire the nation.
Bulgaria were promoted to the B League having finished second in their Group C in the 2019 competition and they kicked off this campaign with a 1-1 draw against the Republic of Ireland.
It was a frustrating night for Dermendzhiev who watched his side go ahead midway through the second half only to concede a 93rd -minute equaliser.
He has some young legs in the team though, as 23-year-old Bozhidar Kraev was on target against Ireland. The midfielder ghosted in between centre-backs John Egan and Shane Duffy to head past Darren Randolph and into the net.
It would have been a rare victory for Bulgaria. Their last Euro qualification campaign came to an abrupt and nasty end with a 0-6 hammering at the hands of England in a game marred by racist chanting in the Sofia crowd, and they haven’t won an away match in qualifying for either the World Cup or European Championships since 2015.
The last time Bulgaria qualified for a major tournament finals was in 2004 at the European Championships, and they will have to wait for the World Cup 2022 qualifiers to start for their next chance of finals football.
History
This is the first meeting between the two sides so we’re working on recent form.
Wales are streets ahead, winning three on the bounce and are unbeaten in seven since a 1-0 defeat to Hungary in 2019. And Ryan Giggs’ side has scored in each of those seven games.
In stark contrast, Bulgaria have lost seven of the last ten, including some serious beatings as they’ve conceded ten goals to England in two games.
They have managed just a single win in that period against the Czech Republic in a meaningless game.
Betting Tip
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Wales vs Bulgaria | Over 2.25 goals @ 1.85 |
| Sept 06, 21:00 (GMT+8) |
After the first round of UEFA Nations League 2020 results, Wales are in great shape and I can’t see anything other than a home win.
The hosts are available at odds of 1.50, with Bulgaria at 7.50 and the draw is 3.95.
I think Giggs’ young guns will win at a canter. While they have registered three clean sheets, I expect them to score three against a weary Bulgaria.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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