Bulgaria vs Spain Prediction: Espana to get ahead early and stay on top

Spain start their pursuit of qualification for the upcoming World Cup by taking on Bulgaria - a side they've never been beaten by - in their opening match in Group E on Thursday evening. Amazon Prime Video have the rights to this one and it will be live-streamed via that platform. Kick-off is set for 19:45.

Our Spanish football expert Mark Sochon got the assignment for this one. He has put together his full match preview and his two Best Bets as he takes us through his Bulgaria vs Spain Predictions...

Spain's bid to win the 2026 World Cup kicks off on Thursday night in Sofia. Luis de la Fuente's side are the favourites to win the competition on the other side of the Atlantic next summer, but first they need to make sure they take care of business in their qualifying group. 

Georgia and Turkey complete Group E, with La Roja's trip to Konya on Sunday potentially a defining fixture that will go a long way to settling who secures automatic qualification. However, they can't afford to take this game lightly, with three points the clear objective in the Bulgarian capital. 

Over the past two years, Spain have been the outstanding international side. They backed up their Nations League triumph in 2023, by winning Euro 2024 in impressive fashion. They defeated former world champions Italy, Germany, France and England on their way to a deserved title. 

Excluding a penalty shootout defeat to Portugal in June's Nations League final, the European champions also went through the whole of the 2024/25 season without losing. Their games invariably served up a fair dose of excitement as well, to at least challenge the idea that international breaks have become dull, quickly forgettable affairs. 

All of Spain's last five matches have seen both teams score twice or more. They won a thrilling Nations League quarter-final against the Netherlands on penalties after a 5-5 aggregate scoreline, before getting the better of France in a 5-4 classic over the course of 90 minutes in the next round. 

If anything, La Roja are better going forwards now than was the case when they won the Euros. Lamine Yamal has taken his game to another level, while Mikel Oyarzabal and Ferran Torres have emerged as strong competition for Álvaro Morata in the striker role. 

With young centre-backs Dean Huijsen and Pau Cubarsí also impressing for La Liga's 'big two', the future looks rosy for the Iberians. However, there have certainly been a few too many defensive errors and lapses of concentration in their recent games. 

That will offer a glimmer of hope to their opponents on Thursday, but it's little more than that. Bulgaria have fallen hard in recent years, and given their current state it's remarkable to think that they made it all the way to the semi-finals the last time the World Cup was held in the United States in 1994. 

Their legendary striker Hristo Stoichkov was the joint top scorer with six goals at that tournament, while they've also churned out talents such as Dimitar Berbatov and Stiliyan Petrov since then. 

This current squad is lacking anyone of that ilk. Kiril Despodov is perhaps their best player, and the only member of this squad to have registered more than four international goals. Midfielder Ilia Gruev has also started twice in the Premier League for Leeds this term, but there are no truly household names amongst their ranks. 

Their current manager Ilian Iliev was part of the Bulgarian squad that reached the 1998 World Cup in France, but he has struggled to spark much life into the current group.  

Last season, they won just two of their 10 matches. Those both came in the group stage of the Nations League, but they subsequently lost both legs of a play-off tie against the Republic of Ireland. Their last outing ended in a 4-0 friendly defeat to Greece. 

Team News: 

There have been no withdrawals from Iliev's initial squad, but Monza centre-back Valentin Antov remains a notable absentee following a cruciate ligament tear earlier in the year. They used a 5-4-1 system in their last competitive fixture, away to the Republic of Ireland, and a similar approach looks likely here. 

As for Spain, they've lost Gavi, Yéremy Pino and Fabián Ruiz to injuries, after all three were named in the initial squad. Isco, Álex Baena and Ayoze Pérez may also have been called up, were it not for their fitness problems. 

In better news for the visitors, experienced right-back Dani Carvajal is back in the squad having missed much of last season through injury. The same goes for Rodri, although he's not guaranteed a starting role just yet, with Martín Zubimendi having performed well in his absence. 

Match Odds:

You can bet on our World Cup markets via our World Cup Odds page on the main betfred.com website.

Bulgaria are huge outsiders at 28/1 to win this match. The draw is priced at 8/1, while you can back the European champions at 1/10 to start their bid for a second world title with a win. 

For bigger returns on the visitors, you can back Spain to win to nil at 4/9. Alternatively, Spain and both teams to score is priced at 13/5, while you can back the favourites to score over 3.5 goals at 7/4. 

If you're expecting the hosts to be at least competitive, you can back Bulgaria with a +3.00 Handicap at 8/11. They are also priced at long odds of 8/1 to win either half. 

It's not entirely clear who will lead the line in this match for the away team, with captain Morata no longer a guaranteed starter. There shouldn't be any surprises on the flanks though, and you can back Nico Williams to score anytime at 5/4, while Lamine Yamal is priced at 21/20 in the same market. 

From a home perspective, Despodov should offer the main threat, and he's available at 10/1 to get on the scoresheet. 

You can bet on this match via our Bulgaria vs Spain Odds page on the main betfred.com website with all the latest prices and full betting markets.

Bet 1 - Result after 20 minutes - Spain @ 11/8 

Spain's mission here will be to build up a lead as quickly as possible, and then withdraw key players after the interval, with one eye on Sunday's crunch clash in Turkey. Against a weak Bulgarian side, they should be more than capable of doing just that. 

The free-scoring Spaniards do tend to start quickly, and have scored first-half goals in each of their last seven internationals. That includes three goals inside the opening 10 minutes, and I'm backing Spain to be in front after 20 minutes in this match at odds of 11/8. 

Bet 2 - Spain to win & Over 3.5 goals @ 13/10 

De la Fuente's side have embarrassed the defences of much better teams than Bulgaria over the past couple of years. They've developed into a relentless attacking force, with Barcelona stars Pedri and Yamal capable of opening up just about any opponent. 

Currently only the world's 84th-ranked team, Bulgaria have been on the wrong end of some heavy scorelines in recent times, including a dismal 5-0 defeat to Northern Ireland in last season's Nations League. With arguably their best defender sidelined, it's hard to see how they are going to be able to restrict Spain, who have so much quality in midfield and wide areas.  

The visitors have struggled to keep clean sheets of late, so a home goal is not entirely out of the question either, and I'm backing Spain to win and Over 3.5 goals at 13/10. 

Mark Sochon P/L 25/26 Season:

• Points Staked: 16
• Points Returned: 20.55
• P/L: +4.73