Both Bulgaria and Croatia will head into this match gunning for a win, as each side has three points from their respective opening EURO 2016 qualifying matches against Azerbaijan and Malta respectively. As things stand, Niko Kovac's men are currently also joined by Italy, whom they will face next at the top of Group H and so a win the road will certainly help before taking on the Azzurri next month.
Yet, Lyuboslav Penev and his squad will have other ideas, as next up for them will be Malta and while many figure the small nation to be the group's whipping boys, football has shown that expecting the unexpected is not out of the norm. Moreover, there is the fact that they will be playing in front of their home fans, which certainly will be an impetus to put on a good showing.
Defender Vedran Corluka is clearly aware of the threat that their hosts pose to his team, and recently singled out one player in particular that the Vatreni will have to be wary of.
"Bulgaria are a very dangerous [side] and we really need to pay attention to Ivelin Popov. A few weeks ago I played against him at club level and he was the one who set up the only goal. He's a very tricky player and needs to be watched closely," the Lokomotiv Moscow center-back recently stated in a press conference.
However, while affording their opponents respect, the 28-year-old was clear that Croatia would not be satisfied with leaving their opponents' capital city with just a point from this match.
"I wouldn't be happy with a draw, [naturally]. [While] you never know what will decide a match or what will actually happen on the pitch, if we come and bring our best game, we can leave Sofia with a win."
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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