Italy vs Bulgaria Predictions

• Italy are unbeaten in 34 matches and can equal the all-time record with another good result.
• Bulgaria have not won away from home in three years and scored only once in their last ten road trips.
• Italy have won four of their five home meetings with Bulgaria to nil (1-0, 2-0, 2-0 and 2-0).

Machine-like Italy to march on

Italy are hot favourites to maintain their long unbeaten streak against Bulgaria as the European champions resume their qualification programme for the next World Cup.

Victory over England at Wembley extended it to 34 matches, their best ever run in international football, and puts them one more result away from equalling the all-time record of 35 matches unbeaten, which is held jointly by Brazil (1993 to 1996) and Spain (2007 to 2009).

The visit of a blunted Bulgaria side seems ideal for Roberti Mancini’s men to ease themselves back into serious action after a summer of celebration.

Yasen Petov’s side have failed to win away from home in three years and have scored just once in their last ten games not on Bulgarian soil.

The Lions lack any bite up front with only one of the six strikers named by Petrov for this party currently employed outside of their homeland – and that one only with Serie B Ascoli.

Mancini’s squad still contains those staunch defensive pillars that helped them to Euro 2020 glory, so it looks highly likely that Italy will win to nil on Thursday night.

But don’t be lulled into the sense that the Azzurri will go to town on their opponents as history suggests this will trend towards a ‘job done’ scoreline of 1-0 or 2-0.

We’re going with a 2-0 correct score prediction, which has landed in two of the last three home qualifiers under Mancini.