Bulgaria Vs Italy
Bulgaria Vs Italy Sunday, 28th March 2021 – 19:45
World Cup Qualifier
Pick: Italy Win to Nil
Odds: Evens
Bookmaker: Betfair
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 26th March 2021)
Preview: An Italy side currently unbeaten in 23 internationals will arrive in Sofia as overwhelming favourites to extend their tremendous run of form, at the expense of Bulgaria who are still in recovery mode following their Swiss blitz at this same venue three days earlier.
World Cup Qualifying Betting at Bet365
Table of Contents
Bulgaria – Surely no repeat of Thursday’s Swiss blitz?
A potentially humiliating scoreline was averted on Thursday evening when Bulgaria, after trailing 3-0 to Switzerland inside the opening twelve minutes, negotiated the remainder of the contest in Sofia without conceding. For some comparison, on the same night England hadn’t established a 3-0 lead against San Marino until the 31st minute. A truly chastening first outing in Group C for Yasen Petrov’s players.
A second international goal for Kiril Despodov did ensure they shaded the second half at the very least. Not exactly redemption but a minor positive all the same. It could, however, be argued the match was already over as a contest before they grabbed their consolation. A 3-0 win over Gibraltar the only previous instance in their past nine matches (W1 D1 L6) in which they scored more than once.
When removing the routine success against lowly Gibraltar out of the equation, this is now a team up to fifteen games without registering more than one goal in a single outing. A similarly sluggish start on Sunday, therefore, against arguably stronger opposition than what they encountered last time around, would surely mean no coming back for a host that has lost four of its last five encounters on home soil.
Italy – Impregnable Azzurri can register another shutout?
All the damage in Thursday’s opening World Cup qualifier was dealt in the opening period as goals from Domenico Berardi – the Sassuolo attacker netting for the third international running – and Ciro Immobile sealed a 2-0 win in Florence over Northern Ireland that made it four wins on the spin for the Italians. The Azzurri, in turn, extending their long unbeaten run to 23 matches (W18 D5).
Roberto Mancini’s stock has rose exponentially since assuming the role as head coach in 2018. The former Man City manager has won 19 of his 28 games in charge, with only losses to France and Portugal, the reigning World and European champions respectively, blotting his otherwise impressive copybook. He was also one of only two managers to oversee a flawless Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.
However, a trip to Sofia is fraught with potential dangers. Italy’s last victory away to Bulgaria dates back to 1994, settling for a share of the spoils in all three subsequent visits, all of which were in World Cup/Euro qualifiers. Yet their form is such, conceding one goal across their previous eight matches and none at all in the last five away, that anything less than an overdue win on Sunday would represent an upset.
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Bulgaria Vs Italy Betting Advice
Even at such meagre odds, it is impossible to ignore the allure of the in-form Italians. They have become efficient under Roberto Mancini, with this team a throwback to sides of the past who were notoriously difficult to score past but offered up ruthlessness to their finishing that few others could genuinely rival. They are close to even money to win without conceding and that looks too good to pass up.
Bulgaria Vs Italy – Key Facts:
- The previous two meetings in Bulgaria, in 2012 and 2015, between these teams resulted in the points being shared. On both occasions the final scoreline read 2-2.
- Bulgaria‘s sole win in their past ten internationals (W1 D2 L7) was against a Gibraltar ranked 195 in the latest FIFA rankings. They’ve lost four of the last five as hosts.
- Italy are unbeaten in 23 matches (W16 D5), winning the last four in a row and all to nil. The Netherlands were the only team to score against them in their last eight fixtures.
Italy boast seven clean sheets in eight games, with only the Netherlands breaching this miserly rearguard. Bulgaria can claim to have scored in all-but one of the last six home contests but are nowhere near the level of the Dutch. Neither is home advantage a likely leveller. Eight of the past eleven visitors to Bulgaria departed victorious, while the likes of Belarus, England, Paraguay and Wales did so without conceding.
Best Betting Odds – Bulgaria Vs Italy
Bulgaria – 14/1 (BetVictor)
Draw – 11/2 (Betfair)
Italy – 2/9 (Betway)
