The international break is almost over, so the empty days without football are nearing. That’s probably sounding quite good to Gareth Southgate right now, as the England boss deals with the fallout of their loss in Prague.

Southgate has had a relatively trouble-free time in charge of England, so this could be seen as his toughest period to date. Southgate’s side lost their first qualifying clash in 10 years, which has brought a few murmurs of discontent from the fans. We could see a formation change and a bit of rotation here as the Three Lions chase a turnaround.

Ahead of this big clash for England, we are looking at the key players across the England side. We’re looking at the latest Bulgaria vs England betting tips, with a selection of player specials as the Three Lions look to return to their best.

England to Create Chances

It’s top against bottom in Group A on Monday night, so the gulf in class is obvious. While a loss in Prague can be explained, any poor display or result this week would be a major disappointment. England should up to expectations as favourites for this clash and we expect them to dominate in Bulgaria. The hosts are the poorest side in the group, while they were demolished 4-0 in the reverse fixture. This should be a great opportunity for the visiting forwards, as we expect plenty of chances for England.

Harry Kane hit three that day, while the Spurs man is one to watch this week. Kane is England’s leading scorer in this campaign with seven goals, while he’s likely to be a real thorn for the Bulgarian defence here. Given that the hosts have conceded at least three goals in meetings with England, Kosovo and the Republic of Ireland of late, we think there’s great value in backing Kane to hit at least two shots on target in this game. Should Kane get those chances, he’s likely to punish the hosts.

Our match previews have all our latest Euro 2020 tips.

Can Kane Take his Chances?

While England had problems at the back in Prague, they got another solid display out of Harry Kane. The Tottenham forward hasn’t quite been at his best in the Premier League, but he’s been consistent for his country. The 26-year-old is just two strikes away from a place in the top-10 of the Three Lions scoring charts. With 27 goals from 42 caps, he could trouble Rooney’s record of 53.

The Spurs man is likely to add to that tally this week. Kane has scored six times across his last five away qualifiers for England, finding the net in each of those matches. He’s arguably having a better time with England given the superior creative talent he’s playing with. While Spurs are off form, he’s got Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho and Mason Mount behind him here. Given Kane’s hat trick against Bulgaria in the meeting at Wembley, so we think he’s well priced at 8/13 with BetVictor to score on Monday night.

Sterling Key for Southgate

England’s forward line may be led by Kane, but there’s much more depth for Southgate to rely on. With Jadon Sancho and Raheem Sterling impressing on the wings England are a force up top. Kane may lead England’s scoring charts, but Sterling has been involved in 11 of England’s 20 goals so far. He has five assists to his name, so we can see him supplying Kane against Bulgaria.

Sterling should cause problems for this Bulgaria defence, especially given that he scored and assisted in the victory against them at Wembley. Despite that, you can get a decent price on the Man City winger to tee-up one of his fellow forwards in this clash. Given that his five assists have come across England’s previous four qualifiers, we think that it’s worth backing over 0.5 assists for Sterling at 15/8 with bet365.

More Trouble for the Defence

With Sterling creating and Kane likely to produce up front, this should be a good night for England’s forwards. However, the problems in Prague fell on the defence. Jordan Pickford looks off form, Southgate has question marks over most of his defenders, while of late the Three Lions have looked shaky. Last month’s 5-3 win over Kosovo showed their shortcomings, while they’ve now conceded five across their last two games.

That’s good news for Bulgaria, who have been creating chances at home. They’ve been a threat in their two home games in this group, scoring twice in a defeat to Kosovo. Bulgaria have seen both teams score in seven of their last nine matches. They should be a danger to England in this clash, while we’ve backed the hosts to get a goal in Monday’s qualifying clash. We are going with both teams to score in our Bulgaria vs England predictions, which could mean more headaches for Southgate.