On Saturday afternoon, Lithuania host Bulgaria in Group C of the European section of qualifying for next years World Cup.
Lithuania have been the whipping boys of the group, as they currently sit bottom of Group C, having lost all five of their qualifiers.
Not only have the home team lost all five of their World Cup qualifiers, but they have also suffered nine straight international defeats.
A lack of goals has been a serious problem for Lithuania, as they have failed to score in seven of their nine winless matches, scoring just twice in the process.
Their record in Group C shouldn’t be a shock either, as they have now failed to win in 12 World Cup qualifiers, having suffered 11 defeats. They have also failed to score in five of their last six qualifiers.
A 2-1 home defeat by Northern Ireland in their last home qualifier means that Lithuania have now suffered five straight defeats on home soil in World Cup qualifying.
Despite Bulgaria’s position of fourth place in the group, the visitors are just three points adrift of Switzerland, who currently occupy second place in the group.
Yasen Petrov’s team are three games unbeaten, having recorded back-to-back wins, including a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture. The result will buoy Bulgaria, who also drew 1-1 with European champions Italy 1-1 in September.
The win in the reverse fixture ended a run of seven qualifiers without a win for Bulgaria in World Cup qualifying. The victory also means that the visitors are three games unbeaten in qualifiers.
The visitors need to improve their away form if they are to take second place in the group, as they have failed to win any of their previous eight away qualifiers.
Forebet predicts that Bulgaria will end that poor recent away run in qualifiers and record a victory in a low-scoring encounter.