Spain vs Bulgaria Prediction: Back Spain to take the lead early

Spain still have an 100% record in World Cup Qualifying after a 2-0 victory over Georgia at the weekend. Our Spanish football expert had two winners from two in his Spain vs Georgia Predictions piece for us here at Betfred Insights and he's looking to do the same for Tuesday's clash (19:45, Amazon Prime PPV)

You can check out Mark's full preview below with Team News, Key Odds, Predicted Lineups and his Two Best Bets. So let's check out his Spain vs Bulgaria Predictions...

Match Preview:

Spain can edge closer towards qualification for the 2026 World Cup by beating Bulgaria in Valladolid on Tuesday night. The European champions are already in a commanding position with a 100% record in Group E. 

It's surely only a matter of time before they confirm their place at next summer's tournament, but La Roja cannot mathematically secure their ticket to the World Cup this week. 

This is their second home game in four days, following a 2-0 win over Georgia in Elche. Crystal Palace winger Yéremy Pino got the ball rolling with the opener on Saturday, while Mikel Oyarzabal's fiercely struck free kick put the result beyond any doubt. 

Spain should have won by more goals, registering 24 shots and 3.93 xG across the 90 minutes. After a difficult evening for the underdogs, Georgia's final xG tally stood at just 0.01, while they enjoyed just a 17% share of the possession. 

All things considered, it was a pretty satisfying evening for Luis de la Fuente, who would have been pleased with how his team bossed the game, despite the absence of their key wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams. They'll expect to be every bit as dominant 72 hours later against a Bulgaria side that they have already defeated 3-0 during this group. 

It took just 38 minutes for the Iberians to score their three goals in Sofia last month. Oyarzabal, Marc Cucurella and Mikel Merino did the damage, with Bulgaria failing to create anything like a clear opportunity in the game. 

Things have only got worse since then for a nation that reached the semi-finals of the World Cup the last time it was hosted in North America in 1994. They were also beaten 3-0 in Georgia in the last international break, a result that sparked a managerial change with Ilian Iliev departing.  

U21 boss Aleksandar Dimitrov was promoted to the top job, after seven years overseeing the next generation of talent. He took charge of his first game in the senior role on Saturday, and it's safe to assume he wouldn't have liked much of what he saw. 

Bulgaria were beaten 6-1 at home by Turkey, effectively ending their already slim hopes of qualifying for next summer's tournament. It's tough to know how the 49-year-old might go about the task of picking up his players ahead of this daunting trip to play the favourites to win the World Cup. 

Turkey themselves conceded six against Spain only last month, and this may be a damage-limitation exercise from the first whistle for the visitors. 

*For all of our World Cup Odds and Betting Markets - please head on over to that section on betfred.com

Team News: 

Spain will be missing Yamal and Williams again, while Ferran Torres, who played the full 90 minutes against Georgia, has been forced to withdraw from the squad with an injury.  

That does limit De la Fuente's options in the final third. Jesús Rodríguez and Jorge de Frutos are the other wingers in the squad, although both have only been capped once, and are unlikely to feature when the World Cup squad is named next year. Álex Baena could also be used in a more advanced role, although he has only recently returned from injury. 

The Spain boss could opt for some light rotation in other areas, although he should still name a strong starting lineup, with work still to be done in this qualifying group. 

As for Bulgaria, they lost defender Emil Tsenov to injury before the Turkey defeat, but haven't been hit by any more withdrawals since then. 

Leeds United midfielder Ilia Gruev surprisingly didn't even make it off the bench in that match. Dimitrov was clearly keen to stamp his mark on this team from day one, but he may feel changes are necessary after such a poor display. 

Match Odds: 

Punters looking to back Spain to win this match will need to make do with tiny returns, with the hosts priced at 1/100. That's a reflection of just how far Bulgaria have fallen in recent times, but if you see their fortunes changing, you can back the visitors at huge odds of 80/1. The Draw is priced at 25/1. 

For bigger returns on the hosts, you can back Spain with a -4.00 Handicap at 5/4. They are also priced at 1/1 to score over 4.5 goals in the match, while they're available at 2/7 to win both halves. 

You can back Bulgaria to score over 0.5 goals at long odds of 11/4. The visitors are also priced at 20/1 to win either half, while Draw or Bulgaria is on offer at 8/1 in the Double Chance market. 

Spain's top scorer during this qualifying campaign is Merino. The Arsenal man is priced at 19/20 to add to his four-goal return by scoring anytime in this match. His former Real Sociedad teammate Oyarzabal should lead the line once more for the hosts, and he's on offer to score first at 3/1 and to score anytime at 8/15. 

A number of the home team's fringe players should get opportunities in the second half. Celta Vigo's Borja Iglesias has been in good form in La Liga, and he's available at 11/4 to score last, while the same can be said of Rayo Vallecano's De Frutos. He's priced at 9/2 in the same market.

*You can check out all of our Spain vs Bulgaria Odds on our betting market over on betfred.com

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

Spain have made a habit of scoring early goals during this group. They took the lead in just the fifth minute of the reverse fixture against Bulgaria, and the sixth minute in Turkey. It took them a bit longer to break through at the weekend, but they breached the Georgian defence in the 24th minute. 

Up against a Bulgarian defence whose confidence would have been shattered by letting in six at home on Saturday, it shouldn't take long before La Roja assume control of this match. De la Fuente's side showed they can still create plenty against Georgia even without Yamal and Williams, and I'm backing Spain in the Result After 20 Minutes market at 8/11 here. 

Bet 2 - Yéremy Pino to score anytime @ 9/10 

This is one of those matches where it's tough to know exactly where De la Fuente will go in terms of his team selection. However, fresh from a weekend goal and with so few wingers available, Pino looks very likely to start again. 

Rodríguez is still a raw talent and the World Cup may come too soon for the 19-year-old Como player, while it's very hard to see De Frutos making it when everyone is fit. However, Pino could be a useful squad player next summer and the Spain boss may want to take this rare chance to have a closer look at him. 

The 22-year-old is the fourth-highest scorer of the players left in this squad, with four international goals in 16 caps. He also boasted a healthy goalscoring record at Villarreal before making his Premier League switch. Against weak opposition, I'm backing Pino to score anytime at 9/10. 

Mystery Free Spins Offer:

What’s the only thing better than slots Free Spins? No deposit Free Spins, with no wagering requirements, that is what!

Opt in for the chance to win daily Free Spins prizes to play on our superb Casino Slots.

All you need to do is opt-in via the banner below, then open a Casino game every day for your chance to win up to 50 Free Spins. How many will you get? That’s the mystery!

Mark Sochon P/L 25/26 Season:

• Points Staked: 55
• Points Returned: 52.08
• P/L: -2.92