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Bulgaria vs Luxembourg Prediction, Preview, Lineups and Team News | Nations League | October 12, 2024

Preview

  • Tournament: UEFA Nations League
  • Date: Saturday, Oct 12
  • Kick-off Time: 05:00 pm GMT
  • Venue: Hristo Botev Stadium, Bulgaria

Bulgaria’s national football team will get their campaign underway when they face Luxembourg in the third game of the Nations League campaign at the Hristo Botev Stadium. Both teams will be keen to add points to their tally with the visiting side finding themselves rock bottom in Group 3.

The hosts proved their worth in their narrow 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland in the last game and are currently on an eight-game unbeaten streak. They would want to maintain this run against an unimpressive Luxembourg who got off to the season on a sour note and have endured back-to-back defeats.

Meanwhile, Luxembourg’s national football team would require a top-notch performance to gather any points against the strong hosts. They have conceded 12 goals in their last six matches and have never managed to steal a win against Bulgaria in their previous H2H meetings.

Bulgaria national football team news

Bulgaria Squad
Bulgarian national team during a game against Hungary (Getty Images)

Bulgaria will be boosted with the return of midfielder Filip Krastev who served a one-match suspension and will be pushing for a start. Ertan Tombak will join Valentin Antov, Aleks Petkov and Angel Lyaskov in a four-man defence.

Luxembourg national football team news

Luxembourg Squad
Luxembourg players during a training session (Getty Images)

Meanwhile, for Luxembourg, goalkeeper Anthony Moris is expected to start in between the sticks. There are no fresh injury or suspension concerns for the visiting team this weekend.

Bulgaria vs Luxembourg Predicted Lineups

Bulgaria national football team predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Mitov; Popov, Petkov, Atanasov, Nurnberger; Gruev, Antov; Despodov, Minchev, Kirilov; Kolev

Defenders: Popov, Petkov, Atanasov, Nurnberger

Midfielders: Gruev, Antov, Minchev

Forwards: Despodov, Kirilov; Kolev

Luxembourg national football team predicted lineup (4-5-1):

Goalkeeper: Moris

Defenders: Jans, Gerson, Carlson, Pinto

Midfielders: Bohnert, Pereira, Barreiro, Veiga

Forwards: Olesen, Rodrigues

Also Read: Israel vs France Prediction, Preview, Lineups and Team News | Nations League | October 10, 2024

Head-to-Head

The two sides have faced off 15 times in the past, with Bulgaria winning 13 of those games. The remaining two games ended in a draw.

Last five matches result:

DateMatchCompetition
November 20, 2022Luxembourg 0-0 BulgariaInternational Friendly
October 10, 2017Luxembourg 1-1 BulgariaFIFA World Cup
September 06, 2016Bulgaria 4-3 LuxembourgFIFA World Cup
September 12, 2007Bulgaria 3-0 LuxembourgUEFA European Championship
October 11, 2006Luxembourg 0-1 BulgariaUEFA European Championship

Key Players to Watch out in Bulgaria vs Luxembourg

Kiril Despodov (Bulgaria)

Kiril Despodov (Bulgaria)
Kiril Despodov of Bulgaria in a match against Croatia (Getty Images)

Bulgaria captain Kiril Despodov who plies his trade with Greek side PAOK will earn his 52nd cap against Luxembourg and play a leading role on Saturday night. The 27-year-old winger scored the winning goal in Bulgaria’s recent 1-0 win over Northern Ireland.

Gerson Rodrigues (Luxembourg)

Gerson Rodrigues (Luxembourg)
Gerson Rodrigues celebrates a goal against Georgia (Getty Images)

Gerson Rodrigues, former Dynamo Kyiv forward, is regarded as one of the greatest Luxembourgish footballers of all time. The 29-year-old forward is currently the all-time leading scorer for Luxembourg with 12 goals to his name.

Bulgaria vs Luxembourg Prediction

Bulgaria’s national football team have made a decent start to their Nations League campaign and are coming off a 1-0 win over Northern Ireland in their second game of the competition. Ilian Iliev is yet to lose as a national team boss with six draws being recorded in his last eight games in charge. They are now on an eight-match unbeaten streak and will hope to find some attacking rhythm against the struggling visitors.

Luxembourg’s national football team are not favourites for this tie due to their head-to-head record against Bulgaria as they have never managed a win in their last 15 meetings across all competitions. The visiting side have sustained defeats in back-to-back games and have managed to keep only one clean sheets in their last 11 international fixtures.

Predicted Score: Bulgaria 2-0 Luxembourg 

Also Read: Finland vs Ireland Prediction, Preview, Lineups and Team News | Nations League | October 10, 2024

Where to Watch Bulgaria vs Luxembourg Live?

CountryWhere to watch
USAFox Sports USA English, fubo TV
UKITV
IndiaSony Network/SonyLiv
BulgariaBNTNOVA Bulgaria
LuxembourgRTL LuxembourgELEVEN SPORTS

FAQs

Q. When is Bulgaria vs Luxembourg?

The Bulgaria vs Luxembourg game will be played on 12th October at Hristo Botev Stadium.

Q. Where to watch Bulgaria vs Luxembourg live for free?

The game between Bulgaria and Luxembourg can be watched on RaiPlay and L’Equipe.

Q. What is the predicted score in Bulgaria and Luxembourg?

The predicted score for Bulgaria vs Luxembourg is 2-0.

Q. What is the head-to-head record for Bulgaria vs Luxembourg?

Both Bulgaria and Luxembourg played 15 times. Bulgaria recorded a whopping 13 wins whereas the other two games ended in a draw.

image sources

  • Bulgaria-Squad: Getty Images
  • Luxembourg-Squad: Getty Images
  • Kiril-Despodov-Bulgaria: Getty Images
  • Gerson-Rodrigues-Luxembourg: Getty Images