Our prediction for this Nations League match:
Bulgaria and North Macedonia face each other at Huvepharma Arena in the Nations League opener. Bulgaria failed to impress in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, with the team missing out on a spot at yet another major tournament. Yasen Petrov will use upcoming games to test as many players as possible, but Ludogorets attacker Kiril Despodov should keep his place up front.
The Risovi, on the other hand, did well to eliminate Italy in the World Cup playoffs semis, but Portugal proved to be a big catch for them in the decider. Anyhow, North Macedonia are more of a team than Bulgaria, and we predict that Ezgjan Alioski and Co. are going to prove their worth on the field. You should know that the two teams have never met before in a competitive match.
Highlighted Player (Georgi Terziev):
Georgi Terziev is a defender who was born in Sliven, Bulgaria on April 18, 1992. Terziev’s main position is centre-back, but he is often used as a full-back and it has to be noted that he is a two-footed footballer. The Bulgaria international started his youth career at his home-town club Sliven and then he moved to Naftex Burgas.
After making nine appearances for the club at senior level, Georgi Terziev joined Chernomorets Burgas in 2009. The defender played for the Sharks from 2009 to 2013 and the he decided to take his career to the next level. Georgi Terziev signed for big-spending Bulgarian side Ludogorets on August 12, 2013 for a fee of €500,000 and he quickly established himself as a first-team regular at the club.
However, in 2017 he played eight games for Croatian side Hajduk Split on loan, but he returned to Razgrad at the end of the 2016/2017 season. Speaking of his international career, Georgi Terziev made his debut for the Bulgaria national football team in October, 2011 in a friendly game against Ukraine.
Highlighted Team (North Macedonia):
Former Yugoslavian republic North Macedonia became member of both FIFA and UEFA in 1994 and they have been competing on the international stage ever since. The Crveni Risovi rolled over Slovenia (4-1) in their first ever official match and the team recorded their biggest win on November 9, 11996, with the team crushing minnows Liechtenstein 11-1 in Eschen-Mauren.
The North Macedonians have yet to qualify for the finals of a major tournament despite the fact that several high-profile footballers played for the former Yugoslav republic. Goran Pandev is undisputedly the team’s most notable player as he played for the likes of Lazion, Inter, Napoli and Galatasaray during his professional career.
Pandev scored his 28th and 29th goal for North Macedonia in a 3-0 win over Belarus in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. However, Goce Seldloski is the most capped player (100). North Macedonia welcome their rivals at Philip II Arena and they wear red shirts with yellow stripe and red shorts when playing at home ground. The colour of their away kits is white.