Bulgaria vs Northern Ireland
12th October 1945hrs
Football – International – 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier
Pick Away Win by One Goal
Bookmaker Unibet
Odds: 10/3 odds taken 1725 GMT, Monday 11 October
Northern Ireland’s 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification hopes are hanging by a thread after the weekend’s loss in Switzerland. Nevertheless, Norn Iron will be gunning for maximum points when they make the trip to the Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia to take on Bulgaria in midweek. They also need favours from elsewhere, but Northern Ireland will not give up hope on Qatar until it is mathematically impossible. We take a look at the latest betting odds and give you our tips and predictions.
Table of Contents
Bulgaria Preview – Bulgarians to suffer fourth defeat?
Bulgaria cannot qualify to the World Cup directly, but they also have slim hopes of overhauling Switzerland in second. However, both the Bulgarians and Northern Ireland are six points behind.
Bulgaria’s qualifying campaign started with a 3-1 home loss to the Swiss in March, which was followed up with a 3-0 reverse to Italy in Sofia just a few days later. The Lions finally got off the mark with a 0-0 draw with Northern Ireland in Belfast on matchday three.
Bulgaria picked up an outstanding draw with the Italians in Florence at the start of last month, which they built on with a 1-0 home victory over Lithuania. However, last time out, they lost 3-1 to the Lithuanians in Vilnius. Can they strike back with a positive result here?
Northern Ireland Preview – Can Norn Iron keep their World Cup dreams alive?
Northern Ireland put up a brave fight against Switzerland in Geneva at the weekend, but injury-time goals in both halves earned the Swiss a narrow 2-0 win. In doing so, Switzerland opened up a six-point gap on Norn Iron.
The Green and White Army are unlikely to reach Qatar, but there have been encouraging signs under Ian Baraclough of late. Before Saturday’s tough defeat in Geneva, Northern Ireland beat Lithuania 4-1 away from home and drew 0-0 with Switzerland in Belfast.
Don’t miss out on other Betting Tips & Predictions
Click here for more Betting Tips
Bulgaria held Baraclough’s troops to a goalless draw at Windsor Park back in March, but the Boys in Green are the slight favourites to get the win in Sofia on Tuesday.
Bulgaria vs Northern Ireland Betting Advice
As we touched on, these two nations played out a forgettable 0-0 draw at Windsor Park in Belfast six months ago. That was the first meeting between the two since an international friendly back in February 2008, which the Bulgarians won 1-0.
Key Facts – Bulgaria vs Northern Ireland Betting Tip
- Both nations have taken five points so far
- The pair drew 0-0 in Belfast back in March
- Both suffered away defeats at the weekend
On paper, these two look tough to split. Neither team could find a breakthrough in the reverse fixture, and this will no doubt be another tight encounter. However, we fancy Northern Ireland to nick a narrow victory at the Vasil Levski Stadium on Tuesday night. You can get 10/3 for the away team to win by one goal.
Stuart Dallas had a memorable season in front of goal for Leeds United in the Premier League last term but has yet to open his account this season – can he change that on Tuesday? Have a punt on Dallas to score anytime in Sofia at the top price of 11/2.
The best betting odds for Bulgaria vs Northern Ireland
Bulgaria to win: 9/5 at Bet365
Draw: 19/10 at Bet365
Northern Ireland to win: 7/4 at Bet365
