MX23RW : Wednesday, April 30 18:05:34| >> :600:3105554:3105554:
Republic of Ireland national football team
Nations League | Playoffs B/C | 2nd Leg
Mar 23, 2025 at 7.45pm UK
Aviva Stadium
Bulgaria national football team

Rep. Ireland
2 - 1
Bulgaria

Ferguson (63'), Idah (84')
Johnston (40'), Knight (44'), Collins (90+2')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Antov (30')
Petrov (32'), Gruev (84'), Nikolov (90+2')

The Match

Preview

Sports Mole previews Sunday's Nations League playoff between Republic of Ireland and Bulgaria, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Form, Standings, Stats

All competitions
Last Game: Bulgaria 1-2 Rep. Ireland
Thursday, March 20 at 7.45pm in Nations League
All competitions
Last Game: Bulgaria 1-2 Rep. Ireland
Thursday, March 20 at 7.45pm in Nations League

We said: Republic of Ireland 2-1 Bulgaria (Republic of Ireland win 4-2 on aggregate)

Having recorded a rare away win, Ireland should be sufficiently confident to see off a limited Bulgaria side for the second time in three days. The Boys in Green now have several options up front, all of whom will be keen to prove themselves before World Cup qualifying gets under way, and they can score twice to secure their League B status. Read more.

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Republic of Ireland win with a probability of 40.7%. A win for Bulgaria had a probability of 30.65% and a draw had a probability of 28.6%.

The most likely scoreline for a Republic of Ireland win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.01%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.08%) and 2-0 (7.94%). The likeliest Bulgaria win was 0-1 (10.86%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.25%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with an 8.1% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted a 2-1 win for Republic of Ireland in this match and our data analysis correctly predicted the win for Republic of Ireland.

Result
Republic of IrelandDrawBulgaria
40.7% (-2.128 -2.13) 28.65% (0.309 0.31) 30.65% (1.816 1.82)
Both teams to score 45% (-0.061 -0.06)
Goals
Over 2.5Under 2.5
38.73% (-0.457 -0.46)61.27% (0.454 0.45)
Over 3.5Under 3.5
18.8% (-0.343 -0.34)81.19% (0.33999999999999 0.34)
Republic of Ireland Goals
Over 0.5Under 0.5
70.46% (-1.408 -1.41)29.54% (1.405 1.41)
Over 1.5Under 1.5
34.43% (-1.75 -1.75)65.56% (1.748 1.75)
Bulgaria Goals
Over 0.5Under 0.5
63.87% (1.163 1.16)36.13% (-1.166 -1.17)
Over 1.5Under 1.5
27.09% (1.166 1.17)72.91% (-1.169 -1.17)
Score Analysis
    Republic of Ireland 40.69%
    Bulgaria 30.65%
    Draw 28.65%
Republic of IrelandDrawBulgaria
1-0 @ 13.01% (-0.29 -0.29)
2-1 @ 8.08% (-0.244 -0.24)
2-0 @ 7.94% (-0.502 -0.5)
3-1 @ 3.28% (-0.234 -0.23)
3-0 @ 3.23% (-0.341 -0.34)
3-2 @ 1.67% (-0.063 -0.06)
4-1 @ 1% (-0.114 -0.11)
4-0 @ 0.98% (-0.148 -0.15)
Other @ 1.5%
Total : 40.69%
1-1 @ 13.25% (0.13 0.13)
0-0 @ 10.67% (0.18 0.18)
2-2 @ 4.11% (0.008 0.01)
Other @ 0.61%
Total : 28.65%
0-1 @ 10.86% (0.52 0.52)
1-2 @ 6.75% (0.272 0.27)
0-2 @ 5.53% (0.427 0.43)
1-3 @ 2.29% (0.161 0.16)
0-3 @ 1.88% (0.199 0.2)
2-3 @ 1.4% (0.047 0.05)
Other @ 1.95%
Total : 30.65%

How you voted: Rep. Ireland vs Bulgaria

Republic of Ireland
87.3%
Draw
9.5%
Bulgaria
3.2%
63
Head to Head
Mar 20, 2025 7.45pm
Playoffs B/C 1st Leg
Bulgaria
1-2
Rep. Ireland
Petkov (6')
Kraev (59'), Atanasov (61'), Nedyalkov (85'), Minkov (90+5')
Azaz (21'), Doherty (42')
Azaz (47'), Johnston (51'), Knight (61'), Vata (81')
Nov 18, 2020 7.45pm
League B
Rep. Ireland
0-0
Bulgaria
Long (11'), Manning (21')
Cicinho (29'), Ivanov (45')
Sep 3, 2020 7.45pm
League B
Bulgaria
1-1
Rep. Ireland
Kraev (56')
Duffy (90+3')
Stevens (22')
Sep 10, 2019 7.45pm
International Friendlies
Rep. Ireland
3-1
Bulgaria
Browne (56'), Long (83'), Collins (86')
Collins (85')
Popov (67' pen.)
rhs 2.0
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