Bulgaria vs England betting preview

England take on Bulgaria on Friday night in their 6th Euro 2012 qualifier. Fabio Capello will be looking to get back to winning ways after England’s disappointing 2-2 draw with Switzerland in their last match. He will also want to cement England’s place at the top of the group to avoid an unofficial play off for it when they play Montenegro in October. Bulgaria on the other hand, will be looking for a win to boost their chances to finishing in 2nd place.

Bulgaria vs England odd

Bulgaria are looking for only their second victory in qualifying when they take on England at home on Friday. This form is represented in the odds for Bulgaria, with their best odds as long as 7.0 from Bet365 to take the victory. The Lions only win so far has come against bottom of the table Wales, but they still have some well-known Premier League players. Dimitar Berbatov has retired from international football, but Bolton winger Martin Petrov should play alongside Aston Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov. However, Bulgaria’s top scorer in qualifying so far is Ivelin Popov who has 2 goals in 5 games. The attacking midfielder is looking like the best bet for a goal from Bulgaria and so odds of 5.0 from Skybet for him to score at any time are definitely worth a look.

A young looking England side are the early favourites to sweep aside Bulgaria with the best odds on an away win coming from Stan James at 1.62. The corresponding fixture at home finished in a 4-0 win for Capello’s men and although it may not be that comfortable again, they should be walking away with all 3 points. A smaller scoreline of 2-0 to England is perhaps more realistic and has good value with odds of 6.5 from Betfred. Manchester United pair Wayne Rooney and Ashley Young should start after striking up a good partnership for their club and enjoying a good start to the season. Rooney is also looking a safe bet at 5.5 with Coral to open the scoring on the night after his hat trick against Arsenal last Sunday. England have managed 11 goals in 5 games so far in qualifying, which is an average of just over 2 a game. With this in mind, betting on over 2.5 goals at 1.67 from Paddy Power, is looking like another good option.

Highlighted Bets

England 2-0 – 6.5 Betfred
Wayne Rooney first goal scorer – 5.5 Coral
Over 2.5 goals – 1.67 Paddy Power
England to score 2+ first half – 5.0 Skybet
Bulgaria WIN – 7.0 Bet365
Popov anytime scorer – 5.0 Skybet

By Sam Markham

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