The 2020/21 UEFA Nations League continues this week with a second round of fixtures in each group of the competition. In League B, the nations are hoping to win promotion to League A and potentially book themselves a place in the World Cup qualifying play offs.
Wales are one of the countries aiming to succeed and on Sunday the 6th of September they will host Bulgaria at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Victory in Helsinki! 🏴#TogetherStronger https://t.co/Eobf8z0oxj— FA WALES (@FAWales) September 3, 2020
Victory in Helsinki! 🏴#TogetherStronger https://t.co/Eobf8z0oxj
Wales come into the match having defeated Finland 1-0 away from home on Thursday night. It was a good result for the Welsh, who were missing some key players and a goal by striker Kieffer Moore in the second half was enough to seal maximum points.
That result means Wales have won each of their last 3 games in all competitions.
Prior to the victory in Finland, Wales beat Azerbaijan 2-0 away and Hungary 2-0 at home in the European championship qualifiers. Wales finished second in their group to book their place in the finals which will take place next summer.
Trends show Wales have been difficult to beat at home and they are undefeated in their last 6 games. There have been 5 victories in those 6 matches and one draw which was against 2018 World Cup runners-up, Croatia. Wales have kept a clean sheet in 4 of their last 6 home games and have seen under 2.5 goals scored 5 of the 6 matches.
Bulgaria started their 2020/21 UEFA Nations League campaign with a draw at home against Republic of Ireland. It appeared as though the Bulgarians were going to win the match having taken the lead in the second half. However, as the clock ticked over to the 90th minute Bulgaria conceded an equaliser direct from a corner.
That result means Bulgaria have won only one of their last 15 games across all competitions. They have lost 3 of their last 5 matches but did manage to record a good 1-0 home victory over Czech Republic at the end of their European Championship qualifying campaign. However, Bulgaria finished in 4th place in their group, winning just one of their 8 games.
Bulgaria have been struggling away from home and trends show they have failed to win any of their last 7 away matches. They have lost 3 of their last 4 on the road and have scored just 4 goals in 7 games.
Team news and Wales will monitor the fitness of Gareth Bale, who may play another 45 minutes. Ben Cabango, Neco Williams, and Harry Wilson will all be hoping to start the match.
Bulgaria will be relying on Midtjylland striker Bozhidar Kraev to score their goals and he found the back of the net against Republic of Ireland on Thursday. He is one of only six players in the squad to be playing their football outside the country.
Wales come into this match as favourites and have a good recent home record. Do not expect to see many goals in this game but the Welsh could come out on top with a clean sheet and under 2.5 goals scored.