Bulgaria vs England 15/10/19

15 October 2019

England head to the Stadion Vasil Levski to take on Bulgaria in the 2020 UEFA European Championship qualifying (ECQ).

Nailed to the bottom of Group A with just three points from six ECQ fixtures (D3, L3), the hosts go into this encounter on the back of a goalless away draw with Montenegro. Interestingly, both of Bulgaria’s previous ECQ matches at home have seen both teams score and none of the sides leading at the halftime break (D1, L1). The Lions are unlikely to snap a three-game losing streak against England in H2Hs, as they’ve failed to pick up a single triumph in their last ten outings, friendlies included (D5, L5). Four of those stalemates have ended with the identical 1-1 scoreline, while four of their five defeats across that period witnessed Bulgaria concede two or more goals.

Rocked by a 2-1 away defeat to the Czech Republic last time out, group leaders will be looking to return to winning ways against the side who they hammered 4-0 in the reversed fixture back in September. An unexpected failure against the Czechs has not only brought Englands’ 100 percent ECQ record to a halt (W4, L1), but it was also the first time during the ongoing qualifying that Gareth Southgate’s men failed to score more than one goal per match. The Three Lions have endured mixed fortunes away from home since exiting the 2018 FIFA World Cup (W2, D3, L1), keeping a clean sheet on just two occasions. However, England have never lost the ECQ encounter with Bulgaria on the road (W2, D1), with both of those triumphs ending with the same 3-0 scoreline.