Bulgaria to Upset Holland?

WC Qualification UEFA | Preview

24/03/17

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With four matches played in UEFA 2018 World Cup qualifying, things are starting to take shape and both Bulgaria and Holland need a win, to stay in contention at the top of Group A.

Euro 2016 runners-up France, are clearly the standout team in this group and they are expected to go on and finish top. That’s not to say they will and having been held by Belarus away from home, the matches in Sweden and Bulgaria could prove tough.

However, the chasing pack, including Bulgaria and Holland must pick up points, if they are to take advantage of any slip-up from the French. The Bulgarians, having already lost two matches in the group, cannot afford to drop any more points and will need to take advantage of their home fixtures, starting with this one against Holland.

Looking at the early results, it appears Bulgaria are going to struggle playing away from home. Heavy defeats in France and Sweden see them without any points to show from their two away games. At home, all be it against the weakest opposition in the group, Bulgaria have picked up maximum points from their two games, defeating Luxembourg and Belarus.

Holland come into this match two places above Bulgaria, sitting second in the group. The Dutch have won two, drawn one and lost one of their four matches. The defeat came at home to France and Danny Blind’s team were also held to a 1-1 draw in Sweden. The two victories came against Luxembourg and Belarus, meaning Holland have picked up maximum points against the same teams as their hosts.

Home advantage could be key in this match. Bulgaria have lost just one of their last six home competitive games and have competed well against the likes of Italy and Denmark in recent years. Holland are currently undefeated away from home in the group but struggled on the road in their Euro 2016 campaign.

The Dutch failed to make it to France last summer because they lost to Czech Republic, Iceland and Turkey away from home. These results show a team who can be beaten when playing away, despite the big-name players in their team. The current Holland squad includes Daley Blind, Giorginio Wijnaldum, Memphis Depay, Kevin Strootman and Arjen Robben.

There is no doubt Bulgaria come into this match as the underdogs and a win might be out of their reach but they are more than capable of picking up a point. The victories over Luxembourg and Belarus were not convincing but when a big nation comes to town, the approach is different and players raise their game.

The last time the two teams met in Bulgaria was during European Championship qualifying in 2006 and the match ended in a 1-1 draw. A similar result this time will not do much in terms of boosting Bulgaria’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup but it will be a good result nonetheless.

As far as Holland are concerned, nothing but a win will do, if they are to top the group. The pressure will be on and they are a team who are proven to struggle when it comes to the crunch. Expect a very close game Sofia, which could easily end level.