Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the World Cup qualifying match.
If Georgia still intend to challenge for a FIFA World Cup berth, they must win both games against Bulgaria. They need to start with the home fixture in Tbilisi.
Georgia
In the first qualifier at the same venue, the Dinamo Arena, Georgia lost 2:3 to Turkey. They came very close to equalising in stoppage time, but without a sending-off for their opponents Georgia would hardly have reduced the deficit. The visitors simply stopped attacking once they were down to ten men, and Georgia scored with their first shot on target. It is worth highlighting Zuriko Davitashvili in that first goal: he not only reacted and turned the ball into the net after it came back off the post, but also carried it from his own half and slid an incisive pass to a team-mate.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria failed to score in their opening game, but they faced an even tougher test — the reigning European champions Spain (lost 0:3). The outcome of the home match was settled by half-time, when Spain put all three goals past Svetoslav Vutsov. The coaching staff, headed by Ilian Iliev, opted to change the first-choice goalkeeper, as Dimitar Mitov had conceded heavily against Greece in the last friendly (0:4).
Georgia vs Bulgaria Prediction
Bulgaria have clear defensive issues regardless of the opponent. Georgia are certainly at Greece’s level: they beat them in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs without conceding. With home backing, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Zuriko Davitashvili and Georges Mikautadze should steer the squad to one outcome — a Georgia win.
