Bulgaria suffers from a lack of sharp forwards, and key players have not been performing well so far. Bulgaria managed to score only 3 goals in 6 group stage matches, but even that was enough to qualify for the knockout stages. However, it should be noted that the Bulgarians traditionally play more collected and reliable at home: 4 of the last 5 matches ended with a minimum number of goals, which may become a trend for the upcoming meeting.
Ireland also scored only 3 goals in the group stage, the ‘green army’ scored only in matches with Finland, against Greece and England the Irish had nothing in attack. And now the national team has a deficit with good strikers, Ferguson, who is the main star in attack, this season does not play at all. So the main hope of the national team now lies on the shoulders of goalkeeper Kelleher from Liverpool.
Given the current conditioning of both teams, we can assume that the match will be a tactical struggle with an emphasis on defence. Bulgaria will probably try to use the home support to control the ball, but will not take any risks in attack. The Irish, known for their pragmatism, will prefer to play to keep the result and wear down their opponents.
Prediction: 2 goals to be scored or fewer. We recommend the “Under 2.5” bet, odds 1.61
