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Bulgaria and North Macedonia will get the ball rolling in Group C4 of the UEFA Nations League when they square off at the Ludogorets Arena on Thursday.
Both sides will be looking to get their campaign off to a fine start and make amends for their woeful run in the last campaign, where they were both sent packing in the group stages.
Bulgaria were left empty-handed in their most recent outing on March 29, when they fell to a 2-1 friendly defeat against Croatia.
They have now lost each of their last three outings, conceding eight goals and scoring two, while failing to win four consecutive games.
Bulgaria will now look to end this dry spell and get their Nations League campaign up and running after crashing out in the group stages in 2020.
Meanwhile, North Macedonia suffered a 2-0 defeat against Portugal in the final of the playoffs for the upcoming World Cup on March 29.
This followed a shock 1-0 victory over European heavyweights Italy in the semi-finals of the playoffs.
North Macedonia head into Thursday on a run of three wins from their last four outings and will look to keep the juggernaut rolling.
Bulgaria vs North Macedonia Head-To-Head
With four wins from the last seven meetings between the sides, Bulgaria boast a superior record in the history of this fixture. North Macedonia have picked up two wins in that time, while the spoils have been shared once.
Bulgaria Form Guide: L-L-L-D-W
North Macedonia Form Guide: L-W-W-W-L
Bulgaria vs North Macedonia Team News
Bulgaria
Twenty-six players have been called-up to the Bulgaria camp, including captain Kiril Despodov, Spezia man Petko Hristov and 23-year-old goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
North Macedonia
North Macedonia have named a 26-man squad for their upcoming Nations League fixtures, including Napoli’s Eljif Elmas and 29-year-old Aleksandar Trajkovski, who scored a last-gasp winner to stun Italy in the World Cup qualifiers back in March.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Bulgaria vs North Macedonia Predicted XI
Bulgaria Predicted XI (4-3-3): Nikolay Mihaylov; Ivan Turitsov, Andrea Hristov, Petko Hristov, Edisson Jordanov; Kristiyan Malinov, Emil Kostadinov, Todor Nedelev; Kiril Despodov; Martin Minchev, Radoslav Kirilov
North Macedonia Predicted XI (4-3-3): Stole Dimitrievski; Stefan Ashkovski, Darko Velkovski, Visar Musliu, Ezgjan Alioski; Stefan Spirovski, Enis Bardhi, Eljif Elmas; Boban Nikolov, Milan Ristovski, Aleksandar Trajkovski
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Bulgaria vs North Macedonia Prediction
Bulgaria will fancy their chances of ending their dry spell as they return home, where they are on a run of three consecutive wins. However, North Macedonia have been solid on the road, picking up three wins and one draw from their last five outings, and we predict they will hold out for a share of the spoils.
Prediction: Bulgaria 1-1 North Macedonia
