The hosts are currently placed 7th in the latest FIFA World Rankings, while the visitors are in 70th position. This will be the 10th meeting between these two European sides, with Portugal winning 3 and Bulgaria winning 4. Three of the games have ended in draws.
Portugal balanced squadA lot of people are tipping the Portuguese as dark horses to win the Euro 2016 tournament, as they believe they have the right blend of experience, youth and talent to go all the way in the competition. They have been grouped in Group F alongside, Austria, Hungary and Iceland.
The Eagles, managed by Fernando Santos are in very good form with four wins and one defeat in their last five games in all competitions. These wins were against Albania (0-1 on September 7), Denmark (1-0 on October 8), and Serbia (1-2 on October 11). All of these victories were in Euro 2016 qualifying. They also defeated Luxembourg in a friendly game (0-2 on November 17).
The only game which the Iberian nation have failed to win recently was the defeat at the hands of Russia in a friendly game (1-0 on November 11)
Bulgaria struggling for relevanceThe Bulgarians are now an almost forgotten quantity when discussing the footballing nations of Europe. They haven’t been to any major tournaments since 2004, and will need to think of innovative ways to come back into reckoning.
The Lions, managed by Ivaylo Petev are in poor form, with two wins and three defeats in their last five games in all competitions. These wins were against Malta (0-1 on June 12), and Azerbaijan (2-0 on October 13). Both of these victories were in Euro 2016 qualifying.
The 1994 World Cup semifinalists have lost recent games against Norway (0-1 on September 3), Italy (1-0 on September 6), and to Croatia (3-0 on October 10).
One player who will be looking to impress is Portuguese midfielder William Carvalho. The enforcer has been on the radar of many European scouts and will be hoping for a good performance to impress whatever suitors might be in attendance. Bozhida Mitrev will need to be at the top of his game, if he is to stop some of the most accomplished forwards in the world from scoring in this game.
Portugal are 63 places ahead of their opponents in the latest FIFA Rankings for a reason and I expect this reason to be evident in this game. Portugal to win this game comfortably.