With the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League back in full force, Bulgaria make their way to the Stade de Luxembourg this Friday as they seek pole position in Group 3 of League C. The Bulgarians are currently third in the group with five points, two behind Northern Ireland, while Luxembourg prop up the table on two points from four matches. A look into the match with a preview, team news, and possible lineups is seen below.
Match Preview
It has been a testing UEFA Nations League campaign for Luxembourg. They opened with defeats to Northern Ireland and Belarus but have since drawn two straight matches, each coming with a scoreless draw versus Bulgaria and 1-1 against Belarus. Still, they lie bottom of Group 3 and could theoretically rise into the promotion playoffs, but that necessitates two wins in the remaining games. However, if current form persists, then Luxembourg are likely to drop down to League D.
This year has not been the easiest for the Red Lions, who have managed only one victory in 2024: a 2-1 friendly win over Kazakhstan in March. The last competitive win came in November 2023 against Liechtenstein in the Euro 2024 qualifiers. For years, Luxembourg has always found Bulgaria a hard nut to crack, having never won in the last 16 encounters, losing 13 to the Lions.
The Bulgarians, led by the head coach Iliyan Iliev, would be strong to finish in Group 3. They opened with a goalless draw with Belarus, followed by a further win over Northern Ireland 1-0. However, it got a dent in their campaign after a heavy defeat to Northern Ireland 5-0 that hurt their chances of getting the top spot. Despite that defeat, a victory over Luxembourg would put them in the frame for top or second if they can beat Belarus in the final match.
The Lions have experienced fairly solid form with just one defeat in the last, while Bulgaria’s record against Luxembourg reads 13 wins from 16 matches and will be confident of extending that run on Friday.
Form Guide
Luxembourg Nations League form: L L D D
Luxembourg form (all competitions): L L L L D D
Bulgaria Nations League form: D W D L
Bulgaria form (all competitions): D D D W D L
Team News
Its top scorer, Rodrigues, will be central to an attack supported by forward Danel Sinani, who has scored 13 in 67 caps. Alessio Curci should join them in the attack, while captain Laurent Jans, in line for his 109th cap, brings experience to the team.
Bulgaria captain Kiril Despodov will win his 54th cap, bringing 15 international goals into the lineup. Aleksandar Kolev, who is still looking for his first goal for Bulgaria, might be handed a start up front, with two-goal forward Radoslav Kirilov adding further attacking depth. In the net should be Aberdeen’s Dimitar Mitov.
Predicted Lineups
Probable Luxembourg Starting XI: Moris; D’Anzico, Korac, Carlson; Jans, Olesen, Barreiro, Pinto; Sinani; Curci, Rodrigues
Probable Bulgaria Starting XI: Mitov; Popov, Atanasov, Petkov, Nurnberger; Kostadinov, Antov; Despodov, Krastev, Kirilov; Kolev
Prediction
Luxembourg 1-2 Bulgaria
Given that recent games between Luxembourg
