Belarus Vs Bulgaria

Belarus and Bulgaria are set to launch their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League campaigns with an intriguing clash at the ZTE Arena in Hungary on Thursday night. This neutral venue will host the opening fixture for both teams in League C, Group 3, where they will vie for promotion alongside Northern Ireland and Luxembourg.

Match Preview

Belarus

Belarus, under the stewardship of head coach Carlos Alos, begins their journey with hopes of advancing from League C, Group 3. Despite showing promise, Belarus has yet to make a significant mark on the international stage. The team has never participated in a World Cup or European Championship. Their most recent setback came in the qualification rounds for Euro 2024, where they fell short despite accumulating a respectable 12 points from 10 group matches. They ended the campaign in fourth place, just three points shy of securing a playoff position.

Carlos Alos, who took over the reins in December 2023, has faced a challenging start. His tenure has been marked by a mixed record of two victories, four draws, and four defeats in 10 games. The team struggled to find success in 2024, failing to win or score in four of their matches this year. FIFA ranks Belarus 99th in the world, and they are eager to avoid a repeat of their disappointing performance during the last international break. In June, they suffered consecutive 4-0 defeats in friendlies against Russia and Israel.

Belarus also aims to rectify their performance from the previous Nations League campaign, where they endured a winless run. In League C, Group 3, they finished at the bottom of the table, trailing behind Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Slovakia. Despite these setbacks, Belarus has a glimmer of hope heading into this fixture, as they have managed to secure victories against Bulgaria in their last two encounters. Their most recent win over Bulgaria came in February 2020, with a narrow 1-0 victory in a friendly away match.

Bulgaria

On the other hand, Bulgaria enters the Nations League with a fresh perspective under the guidance of Iliyan Iliev. Like Belarus, Bulgaria failed to qualify for Euro 2024 after a dismal campaign that saw them unable to secure a win in any of their eight group matches, conceding 14 goals throughout the process. This led to the dismissal of Mladen Krstajic in October 2023, following a nine-game winless streak that included four consecutive defeats.

Current head coach Iliyan Iliev has since taken over, bringing a measure of stability to the team. Over the past 10 months, Iliev has guided Bulgaria to one win and five draws in his initial six matches. The team's sole victory during this period was a narrow 1-0 win in a friendly against Tanzania. They have also drawn with Hungary, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Romania, and Slovenia, with draws against the latter two occurring in June.

FIFA ranks Bulgaria 82nd in the world, and they finished second in League C, Group 4 of the 2022-23 Nations League. They secured two wins and three draws in their six matches, ending the campaign seven points behind the group winners, Georgia. Bulgaria now looks to secure their first win over Belarus since November 2016. Their last successful encounter against Belarus was a 1-0 victory on home soil during the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.

As both teams prepare to kick off their Nations League campaigns, the fixture at ZTE Arena promises to be a pivotal moment for Belarus and Bulgaria. Each team will be keen to start the campaign on a positive note, aiming to make a strong push for promotion from League C, Group 3. With their recent histories and current form in mind, the match is expected to be a closely contested battle, setting the tone for their upcoming fixtures in the league.