The impressive 2-1 away triumph over Azerbaijan will mean little unless Bulgaria manage to get at least one point from the Croatia game, so no doubt the hosts are taking this match very seriously. Their opponents will face a much tougher task than the one they had against Malta, but with some world-class players at his disposal, coach Niko Kovac has no reason for concern.

Good opportunity for Bulgaria

The fourth-place finish at the 1994 World Cup remains the national team’s best result up to date, but it is important to note Bulgaria have failed to qualify for last five major tournaments. Coach Lyuboslav Penev has remained at the helm in spite of the failure in the previous qualifying campaign and his side in turn did show some improvement. Following the friendly win over Belarus and 1-1 draw with Canada, the Lions did really well to defeat Azerbaijan in their opening Euro 2016 fixture, hinting they might just be able to secure one of the two qualifying berths. However, with Italy, Croatia and Norway also in their group, Bulgaria will have to continue the rich vein of form if they are to stand any chance of reaching the tournament finals, and I am not convinced they’ve got enough quality or experience to match their next opponents. The hosts have several quality players up front who could create problems for Croatia such as Popov, Tonev and Mitsanski, but that is nothing when compared to the player Niko Kovac can count on.

Captain Ivelin Popov returns to the side after missing the Azerbaijan clash, but FC Basel defender Ivan Ivanov continues to miss out through injury.

Croatia still not at their best

Croatia have been on a minor downtrend ever since long-serving coach Slaven Bilic left the post, although Niko Kovac still managed to take Vatreni to the 2014 World Cup finals after Igor Stimac had made a mess out of their qualifying campaign. The team produced two very good performances in Brazil, but eventually failed to get past the group stage, which has got to be considered a failure given the quality of players in their ranks. The likes of Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Dejan Lovren and co. all play important roles in Europe’s top clubs and seeing as how they usually give their best when playing for the national team, Croatia need to be among the very best of them. Vatreni did not impress in the opening fixture against Malta, even if they recorded a 2-0 triumph, but with important players now in much better form, Niko Kovac’s charges should be in much better shape when facing Bulgaria. The return of Ivan Perisic can also be considered a major boost for the team, with no important missings to report at the moment.

Sime Vrsaljko misses out through injury, but Ivan Perisic should slot straight into the starting line-up having recovered from injury.

Verdict

Bulgaria have been showing improvement of late, but they have yet to prove they can match Europe’s top sides. Croatia, on the other hand, haven’t been playing to their potential, although they have more than enough individual quality to win this game.

Top pick: Away win   2.25 (5/4) @ William Hill

Alternative pick 1: Under 2.5 goals   1.57 (4/7) @ SkyBet

Alternative pick 2: Half-time Draw   1.96 (24/25) @ 888sport