We have a regional derby on our hands in Group E, as struggling Bulgaria will host Turkey. Both teams will look to kickstart their campaigns in hopes of securing a WC spot.
Bulgaria Team News
Bulgaria suffered a dreadful start to their WCQ campaign with 2 consecutive 3-0 losses against favourites Spain and Georgia. While the weakest team in the group by far, the results did spark a change in management, with the game against Turkey being the first for Aleksandar Dimitrov. Bulgaria has long suffered from low quality and poor form, something that is clearly reflected in their results – only two wins across the team’s last 11 fixtures. While hopes for something in this group were slim to begin with, a loss against Turkey would mean that Bulgaria would have an insurmountable task of qualifying. All the team’s last 6 losses also produced at least 3 goals.
Turkey Team News
Turkey’s situation is not as bleak as Bulgaria’s, as they have a very realistic chance of securing second place in the qualifying group. While the team started strong with a valuable 2-3 away win against Georgia, what followed was a heavy 0-6 blow from Spain that is sure to have left its mark on the team’s confidence. Now, Turkey makes the short trip north in hopes of securing a second win in the group that will definitely put them in second place and also tries to mend the wound that Spain’s huge win might have left on its confidence. Fortunately for them, they will be playing against a low-ranked Bulgaria team that is riddled with issues and deficiencies.
Head-to-Head-Games
Bulgaria and Turkey have met a total of 3 times, all of which were in friendly matches. The former has 1 win, while the latter has two to their name. The most recent of these fixtures took place in 2015.
Bulgaria vs Turkey Betting Prediction
Despite the managerial change, the issues for Bulgaria remain – low quality and a devastated morale. I do not expect them to take anything from this game, but fully expect Turkey to win and the game to feature over 2.5 goals. All of Bulgaria’s last 6 defeats produced at least 3 goals, while all of Turkey’s last 5 wins also produced over 2.5 goals. It is clear that when one loses, there are goals and when the other wins, there are also goals to be expected. Given that Turkey are the heavy favourite here, I believe going with a win for them and over 2.5 goals is a good option.
Betting Tip: Turkey To Win & Over 2.5 Goals
Bookmaker: BC.Game
Odds: 1.85
BC.Game
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