Analysis and prediction for Bulgaria vs Republic of Ireland: It won't be easy to beat the visitors.

The Republic of Ireland will travel to Stadion Hristo Botev on Thursday to face Bulgaria in the first leg of their UEFA Nations League play-off, aiming to avoid relegation to League C.

The home team finished second in their group in League C with nine points from six matches, while Ireland finished third in their League B group with six points from six games.

Latest information on the Bulgaria vs Republic of Ireland squad

Bulgaria will most likely maintain the same lineup as in the draw against Belarus, with goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov protected by the central defensive duo of Simeon Petrov and Alex Petkov.

Up front, Marin Petkov, Aleksander Kolev, and Radoslav Kirilov are likely to continue in the starting lineup, supported by a midfield consisting of Vasil Panayotov, Andrian Kraev, and Georgi Milanov.

On the Irish side, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher is certain to start, with Nathan Collins and Dara O'Shea manning the defense in front of goal.

In midfield, Josh Cullen and Jason Knight – who played together in the 2-1 victory over Finland on November 14th – could continue to start in Thursday's match.

Latest predicted lineups for Bulgaria vs Republic of Ireland

Bulgaria:

Mitov; Popov, S Petrov, A Petkov, Nurnberger; Panayotov, Kraev, Milanov; M Petkov, Kolev, Kirilov

Republic of Ireland:

Kelleher; Doherty, Collins, O'Shea, Brady; Moran, Cullen, Knight, Johnston; Parrott, Ferguson

Latest football match prediction: Bulgaria vs Republic of Ireland

Bulgaria secured a 1-1 draw against Belarus in their final group stage match on November 18th, enough to overtake their opponents and claim second place. Ilian Iliev's team deserves credit for preventing Belarus from creating any truly dangerous opportunities.

Despite conceding six goals in the group stage, Bulgaria kept four clean sheets, and five of their six goals conceded came from the humiliating 0-5 defeat against Northern Ireland on October 15th.

Since Iliev took over, Bulgaria have played 12 matches and conceded more than one goal in only one of their last 10 games. However, their biggest problem is their goal-scoring performance, having only found the net six times in the same period.

Bulgaria's form has been quite inconsistent, with one win, two draws, and one loss in their last five matches. Furthermore, they had drawn four consecutive games prior to that.

Bulgaria's home record isn't particularly impressive, as they haven't won in nine of their last 11 matches at Stadion Hristo Botev, including four defeats.

On the Republic of Ireland side, Heimir Hallgrímsson's team suffered a 0-5 defeat against their rivals England in their final Nations League group stage match on November 17th. However, it's worth noting that the match was still 0-0 when Liam Scales was sent off in the 51st minute.

Ireland conceded 12 goals in the group stage but only scored three, and they failed to find the net in seven of their last 10 matches.

Historically, Ireland have met Bulgaria three times and have never lost, with one victory in a 2019 friendly and two draws in the 2020 Nations League.

Despite losing seven and drawing two of their last 12 matches, Ireland still showed positive signs, winning two of their last four games.

However, their away form is a major problem, having lost six of their last eight away games.

Latest Bulgaria vs Republic of Ireland score prediction

Based on the above football analysis, we and leading football websites worldwide have provided our predictions for the match.Bulgaria vs Republic of Irelandas follows:

• Sportsmole:Bulgaria 1-1 Republic of Ireland

• WhoScore:Bulgaria 2-1 Republic of Ireland
• Our newspaper predicts:Bulgaria 1-1 Republic of Ireland

When and where can I watch Bulgaria vs Republic of Ireland live?

To watch the Bulgaria vs Republic of Ireland match live in the Nations League, taking place at 1:45 AM on March 21st, viewers can tune in to the following channels:K+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. We hope you enjoy watching football.