Bulgaria will host Italy at the Vasil Levski Stadium on Sunday for their European World Cup qualifying Group C encounter. The hosts have struggled to put together a decent run across all competitions for a long time and will look to potentially change their fortune by defying the odds against Roberto Mancini's Azzurri who are looking to climb to the top of the table.
The former will approach the game on the back of a disappointing 3-1 defeat against Switzerland. Yasen Petrov's men are, as a result, winless in their last three matches and have lost six of their last eight matches. They have only recorded two wins in their last sixteen matches (D3 L11). The last time they won a game can be traced back to November 2020 against Gibraltar in a friendly. Having also beaten Italy twice in 19 meetings between the two countries, the odds are pretty much against them.
Italy, on the other hand, will be poised to safeguard themselves against any slip ups going into Sunday's encounter. The Azzurri missed out on the last World Cup held in Russia but now look rejuvenated to make a difference in any major tournament that may come their way. With a new generation in place, they have shown their dominance whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Last Thursday, Roberto Mancini's men opened their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland. The result added up to their remarkable unbeaten run which now sits at 23. The last time the 2006 FIFA World Cup winners tasted defeat in any competition was in 2018. With both defensive and attacking talents aplenty, they have also managed to keep clean sheets in their last four consecutive matches.
Head to head
Italy have the edge in this fixture with 10 wins from the 19 meetings between the two sides. The Azzurri have won six of the previous 12 matches while Bulgaria have claimed just two victories. The last time the pair met was in the Euro 2016 qualifiers where Italy run away with a 1-0 victory.
Team news
Bulgaria have no latest injury concerns going into Sunday's encounter. For Italy, Bryan Cristante and Moise Kean will be unavailable after withdrawing from the squad with respective injuries. Chelsea's Jorginho is also absent with a knee problem.
Predicted starting XI
Bulgaria: P. Iliev; Popov, Antov, Zanev, Cicinho; Malinov, Kostadinov; Delev, Chochev, Despodov; Galabinov.
Italy: Donnarumma; Florenzi, Bonucci, Bastoni, Spinazzola; Barella, Locatelli, Verratti; Chiesa, Immobile, Insigne.
Broadcast information
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
