Bulgaria will be attempting to end their four-match run without a victory in all competitions when they face Iran in an international friendly on Thursday.
The visitors are undefeated since the World Cup and will be attempting to build up as much form as possible heading into the upcoming qualifiers for the 2026 tournament.
Match preview
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Bulgaria have been undergoing a tough spell recently, with four games without a win leaving them under pressure in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Mladen Krstajic's men are currently fourth in their table and the Bulgarian boss will be hoping that the upcoming international break can bring a return to winning ways heading into the next qualifying games.
Despite their lack of victories, the Lions do head into this match on the back of consecutive draws, proving that they can be difficult to break down at times.
However, their 1-1 result against Serbia was something that left Bulgarian fans frustrated due to the fact Kiril Despodov's goal had given them the lead until the 96th minute.
The late equaliser was a bitter pill to swallow for the Lions, providing a stark reminder that concentration until the very end of a game is crucial in international football.
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The visitors are in stronger form at the moment due to the fact they are undefeated in their previous two games which comes off a World Cup campaign that showed promise.
The Persian Stars picked up three points from their World Cup group after defeating Wales 2-0, which was a positive result that they are now trying to build upon.
Iran followed that up with a 1-1 draw against Russia due to a Mehdi Taremi penalty and they then kicked on from that by defeating Kenya by two goals to one.
The Persian Stars left things late to get back into that game, and considering Bulgaria's recent struggles at the end of the game, that is something they will take confidence from.
Mohammad Mohebi and Ramin Rezaeian scored goals in the last 15 minutes of that friendly, and repeating the result this week would continue to build the confidence heading into the upcoming World Cup qualification games.
Team News
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Bulgaria switched up their formation to a 3-4-3 in their most recent match, and that is something they could use once again this time.
Despodov could end up leading the line again here, particularly since he comes into the game on the back of scoring a goal in his most recent performance.
Rezaeian was only used as a substitute for the visitors during their last outing, but after scoring the winner in that friendly he could be used from the first whistle this time around.
Keeping fur at the back is likely going to continue for the Persian Stars as well, especially due to the fact they are likely going up against three attackers at once.
Bulgaria possible starting lineup:
Dyulgerov; Hristov, Antov, Gruev; Popov, Chochev, Shopov, Petkov; Minchev, Rusev, Despodov
Iran possible starting lineup:
H. Hosseini; Rezaeian, M. Hosseini, Pouraliganji, Mohammadi; Ali Gholizadeh, Nourollahi, Ezatolahi, Hajsafi; Taremi, Azmoun
We say: Bulgaria 0-2 Iran
Bulgaria might have the home advantage heading into this match, but Iran bring a stronger squad and the confidence behind their recent results should help them.
The Persian Stars have impressed with recent performances, and that is something that should lead to them taking a comfortable victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
