Levski and CSKA face each other at 17:00 at the National Stadium “Vasil Levski” in a match from the 13th round of the First League. The two teams are separated by one point at the top of the standings – the “Blues” are leaders with 32 points, while CSKA are second with 31.
The Referees’ Committee of the Bulgarian Football Union appointed Nikola Popov as the referee for the match. Dimitar Dimitrov will be in charge of the VAR system.
Levski without Mitkov and Kirilov
Levski will certainly be unable to count on Asen Mitkov and Radoslav Kirilov. The two continue their recovery from injuries and will not be included in the squad for the derby.
The bigger question mark concerns Serginho. The midfielder was forced off before half-time in the 1:0 victory over Jagiellonia in the Europa League due to an adductor problem. Akram Bouras is also doubtful.
“Serginho and Bouras are doubtful. We will see after today’s training session. Mitkov and Kirilov will definitely not play,” Levski coach Julio Velazquez said ahead of the match.
The coach must also assess the players’ workload following Thursday’s European match. Levski beat Jagiellonia 1:0 thanks to a late goal from Steven Stoyanchov, but the situation in midfield remains unclear.
Zwarts is the big question mark for CSKA
At CSKA, the main question concerns Joel Zwarts. The striker suffered a painful blow to his ankle in the 1:2 defeat to Panathinaikos in the Conference League. He remained on the pitch until the end, but his participation against Levski has not been confirmed.
Zwarts had already recovered from a muscle injury to his right thigh and returned to action against Panathinaikos. The Dutchman is among CSKA’s leading scorers, and on September 9 he scored twice in the 4:2 victory over Levski in the Super Cup.
Leo Pereira, who is recovering from a serious injury, remains unavailable. In the absence of Zwarts, the “Reds” attack will likely be led by Santiago Godoy, but Markus Gisdol’s final choice will become clear with the announcement of the starting line-ups.
Thus, both teams enter the derby after European matches and with incomplete clarity regarding their squads. It has been confirmed that Levski will not be able to count on Mitkov and Kirilov, while the decisions regarding Serginho, Bouras and Zwarts must be made immediately before kick-off.
Sources: novsport.com, taralej.bg, gol.bg