Bulgaria vs Turkiye Prediction and Betting Tips

Bulgaria and Turkiye are back in action in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers when they square off at the Vasil Levski National Stadium on Saturday. This will be the first meeting between the two nations since June 2015, when Vincenzo Montella’s men stormed to a 4-0 victory in their friendly clash.

Bulgaria were left empty-handed for a second consecutive game in the World Cup qualifiers last time out when they were beaten 3-0 by Georgia at Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena.

This followed a 3-0 defeat against 2010 World Cup winners Spain in the Group E curtain-raiser at the Vasil Levski National Stadium on September 4.

Bulgaria head into Saturday’s tie without a win in any of their last seven matches across all competitions, losing five and picking up two draws since a 1-0 victory over Luxembourg in November 2024.

On the other hand, Turkiye were sent crashing down to earth in the qualifiers as they suffered a 6-0 hammering at the hands of Spain last time out.

Before that, Montella’s side saw off a late comeback scare to secure a narrow 3-2 victory over Georgia in their group opener at Torku Arena on September 4.

Turkiye currently sit third in the Group E standings with three points from the first six available, only above this weekend’s hosts, who are one of seven sides without any points so far.

Bulgaria vs Turkiye Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

With 10 wins from the last 23 meetings between the sides, Bulgaria boast a superior record in the history of this fixture.
Turkiye have picked up seven wins in that time, while the spoils have been shared on six occasions.
Bulgaria have failed to win their last five home games across all competitions, losing twice and picking up three draws since a 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland in September 2024.
Turkiye are unbeaten in four of their most recent five competitive away matches while claiming three wins and one draw since September 2024.

Bulgaria vs Turkiye Prediction

It has been a slow start to the campaign for Bulgaria and Turkiye, and both nations will be looking to secure a morale-boosting result this weekend.

Tukiye have called up several talented stars to their squad and we are backing them to see off the hosts, albeit by a narrow margin.

Prediction: Bulgaria 1-2 Turkiye

Bulgaria vs Turkiye Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result - Turkiye to win

Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have been at least three goals scored in Bulgaria’s last six games)

Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards - Yes (There have also been at least five bookings in six of the hosts’ last eight outings)

About the author

Joshua is a European and international football writer at Sportskeeda who covers news and match previews. He fell in love with the sport watching Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o win titles at club and international level, and his passion for the sport led him to become a professional football writer. He has an overall professional experience of 5 years.

Joshua supports Chelsea at club level, having witnessed a number of African stars break records with the club. Drogba’s equalizing header and match-winning shootout penalty for Chelsea against Bayern Munich in the 2012 UEFA Champions League final left a last impact on him. His favorite player is Eden Hazard and favorite manager is Jose Mourinho, who gave him the most joyous days as a Blues supporter. He believes that Cristiano Ronaldo is unlucky to be born in Messi’s era and favors the Argentine in the G.O.A.T. debate.

Joshua also follows the Portuguese Primeira Liga and the Nigeria Professional Football League and loves to play football during his free time. Having attained a B.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Ibadan, he employs his problem-solving skills in crafting articles while doing extensive research to ensure each article is well thought out and crafted.

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