Bulgaria vs Ireland Prediction: Boys in Green can battle to Plovdiv victory

The Republic of Ireland finished third behind England and Greece in Nations League B2 but can retain their second-tier status by beating Bulgaria over two legs. The first match takes place at 19:45 at Plovdiv's Stadion Hristo Botev on Thursday before Sunday's second leg in Dublin.

Heimir Hallgrimsson has been criticised for his conservative tactics since taking over the Republic last year but faces another coach with a reputation for being overly defensive in his Bulgarian counterpart, Ilian Iliev. A chess match beckons between these two teams but the away side's additional quality should tell, as suggested in my Bulgaria vs Ireland predictions below.

Team News

Iliev likes to stick with a settled team and could name a side similar to the one that drew with Belarus in November.

Football Odds

Hallgrimsson has switched between a 3-4-3 and 4-4-2 during his tenure but might opt for a 4-5-1 in Plovdiv to pack the middle of the pitch.

If so, Evan Ferguson could lead the line, although Troy Parrott is an option, while Liverpool back-up Caoimhin Kelleher, who saved a penalty in November's 1-0 win over Finland, now looks the undisputed first choice between the sticks.

Kosovo vs Iceland Odds

Bulgaria are 11/5 to win the first leg of this play-off, implying a probability of 31.3%, with a draw 2/1 and Ireland the 13/10 favourites (43.5%).

A 'no' in both teams to score is 4/6, while under 2.5 goals is 1/2.

Republic of Ireland to win @ 13/10

Home and away wins over Finland were all the Republic could muster in Group B2 but they have a chance to remain in the second tier.

The Boys in Green only scored four times in six matches and face another team that struggles to break down defences.

Trikolyorite only netted three times on their way to finishing second behind Northern Ireland in Group C3 but, while they lost 5-0 in Belfast, that result was an outlier, with only one of their other five games featuring more than one goal.

They beat Northern Ireland 1-0 at home but then drew 0-0 with Luxembourg and 1-1 with Belarus. Thursday's game in Plovdiv looks unlikely to be a classic but Ireland should have the quality to get the result.

An away win to zero is available at 23/10 and punters can back a 1-0 success for Hallgrimsson's side at 5/1.

Evan Ferguson anytime goalscorer @ 5/2

AZ Alkmaar's Parrott might be the form selection to lead the line for the Irish after a strong first season in the Eredivisie. However, against a heavyhanded home defence, Ferguson's physicality makes him the obvious choice for a pragmatic coach like Hallgrimsson.

The striker's injuries caused him to struggle for minutes at Brighton and he has yet to impress since joining West Ham on loan at the end of the winter window.

Ferguson was previously viewed as someone with the potential to be a world star but fitness issues have cost him the last year of his career. However, it is easy to forget that he is only 20 and he still has all the attributes to excel.

The Drogheda-man scored the only goal in November's 1-0 win over Finland and is 5/2 to score on Thursday and 6/1 to open the scoring.

Offers

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