UEFA World Cup qualifying Group A took another twist on Thursday night as Bulgaria defeated Sweden 3-2 in an exciting match in Sofia.
The Swedes were leading the group and knew a win would give them a good advantage over Bulgaria and the team which was defeated in the France vs Netherlands match. However, it did not go according to plan for Sweden and Bulgaria’s victory has opened the group.
As things stand in Group A, France are top of the group and remain favourites to qualify in first place with 16 points from their seven games. Sweden are in second place with 13 points, Bulgaria are third on 12 points and Netherlands fourth on 10 points.
Luxembourg are bottom of the group, despite their victory over Belarus last time out and it would take a miracle for Belarus to reach second place.
As far as the Netherlands are concerned, this group has been a disaster and their 4-0 defeat in France on Thursday night only served to underline that fact.
Netherlands were poor throughout the match and when they did create the occasional chance it was wasted. Having a man sent off did not help their cause and they were ripped open by France in the latter stages of the game and it could easily have been 5-0 or 6-0 at the final whistle.
Netherlands must regroup for this game and quickly, trends show they have lost two of their last three World Cup qualifying matches and have won just 42% of their games in Group A. There have been defeats home and away to France and in Bulgaria.
The Dutch will be clinging to their home World Cup qualifying record which has seen them win eleven of their last twelve matches and lose just one of the last twenty-one.
Bulgaria have given themselves a great chance of reaching the World Cup playoffs thanks to their win over Sweden on Thursday.
They have now on three of their last four World Cup qualifying games, including a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in the reverse fixture. Bulgaria will travel to the Netherlands full of confidence but the only negative aspect is their away form.
Trends show Bulgaria have lost their last four away World Cup qualifying games, including defeats in Armenia and Belarus. They have won only one of the last seventeen games on the road in World Cup qualifying.
However, there have been some good draws against Croatia, Republic of Ireland, Czech Republic and Denmark.
Netherlands will be without Kevin Strootman for this game following his sending off against France. Davy Propper may come in to replace him with Tonny Vilhena also vying for a place in midfield.
Bozhidar Chorbadzhiyski will miss this match for Bulgaria having been booked against Sweden. Otherwise, Petar Hubchev is likely to go with the same players which got the win against the Swedes.
This is a huge match and Netherlands know they must win if they want to keep their World Cup hopes alive. Bulgaria are full of confidence and scoring goals and should provide a good test for the Dutch defence.
Much will depend on how the Netherlands approach this game. If they are apprehensive following their heavy defeat in France, Bulgaria can come away with something from this match in terms of a draw, with both team scoring.