Bulgaria U21 hosts Portugal in a key match of the qualifiers for the European Championship U21 in 2027. The match starts at 18:30 at the “Georgi Benkovski“ stadium in Pazardzhik and will be broadcast live on “Diema Sport“.
Portugal is a convincing leader in Group B with 19 points after six wins and one draw. The team has scored 28 goals and has not conceded a single goal. The Czech Republic is in second place with 14 points, while Bulgaria and Scotland have 11 each. After the home game against Portugal, the Bulgarian team will visit the Czech Republic on September 30 before hosting Scotland on October 6.
Portugal won the first match
Portugal won the previous meeting between the two teams in October 2025 with 3:0. In their remaining group matches, the Iberians recorded convincing victories over Azerbaijan, Scotland and Gibraltar, as well as a 0:0 draw with the Czech Republic. Bulgaria achieved victories against Gibraltar and the Czech Republic, draws with Azerbaijan and losses to Portugal and Scotland.
The coach Todor Yanchev named a group of 23 players for the final series of qualifiers. Among the players called up are players from clubs in Bulgaria, Spain, Italy, Germany, Hungary and Greece. The team will be looking for points against the group leader before playing their last two matches of the qualifying round.
Goalkeeper Plamen Andreev called for support from the stands and said: “In Bulgaria we have a lot of talent that we don't appreciate.“ He added that the competition for the goalkeeping position is strong and that all the players are united around the goal of defending the national jersey.
Today's match is the ninth round for Bulgaria in the group. After it, there will be two matches left, in which the national team will play against their direct competitors for second place and a chance to participate in the play-offs.
Sources: Palms Sport, Topsport