Bulgaria hosts Estonia in a match from the second round of the Nations League. The match at the "Hristo Botev" stadium in Plovdiv starts at 9:45 p.m.
The guests are on a three-match unbeaten streak, with a 1-1 draw in Reykjavik against a solid Iceland team in the last round. The media in the Baltic state even described this match as "the best match of the national team in the last five years".
The Estonian team includes well-known faces for the Bulgarian public – two former Botev Plovdiv players – Jonas Tam and Matvey Igonen, as well as former CSKA defender Karol Mets.
Our team, on the contrary, is in poor form - two losses and one draw in the last three matches. Coach Alexander Dimitrov promised a "totally different face and behavior" compared to the clash with Luxembourg. Expectations are for a much more aggressive approach, high pressure and a search for an early goal. There will certainly be changes in the starting lineup, and there will be many of them.
It is not excluded that Stefan Velkov from the Danish Sonderjyske and Andrea Hristov from the Portuguese Vizela will form the central defender pair. Dimitar Mitov will most likely return under the goalpost, and Marin Petkov and Kristian Balov will operate on both flanks.
A possible loss will anchor Bulgaria in last place in the group, with only the traditional football dwarfs of the rank of Andorra, San Marino and Gibraltar remaining below us.
Historically, the "lions" have not been defeated by Estonia. In the two meetings in 2003 in the Euro 2004 qualifiers, we recorded a draw and a win.