The Daily Star Ireland
Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson anticipates a close contest with few goals when his team faces Bulgaria in the Nations League promotion/relegation playoffs in March. He expressed relief at avoiding a challenging draw with Slovakia, as well as a potential matchup against Kosovo or Armenia, settling instead on a repeat encounter with Bulgaria.
The last four competitive meetings between the two teams have ended in draws, and Bulgaria has shown they can handle teams from the island of Ireland, having secured a 1-0 victory at home and a 5-0 away win against Northern Ireland in the Nations League.
Ireland will play the first leg away on March 20, with the return match in Dublin on March 23. However, Bulgaria has not yet confirmed the venue for their home fixture, with the possibility it may not be in Sofia. Hallgrimsson welcomed the away first leg, noting that traveling to a new location could offer an advantage.
Hallgrimsson pointed out Bulgaria’s strength in keeping clean sheets, highlighting their tendency to play low-scoring matches, which will make breaking them down a challenge. He sees the draw as fairly balanced, noting that Slovakia, the highest-ranked team in the group, was the one everyone wanted to avoid.
Although Ireland’s performance in the Nations League has been disappointing, Hallgrimsson remains adamant that staying in League B is important for the team’s development, despite some arguing that dropping to League C might offer more chances to win. He believes facing stronger teams is the best way to improve and work towards qualification for major tournaments.
Looking ahead to the March fixtures, Hallgrimsson hopes the squad will be in better form after a rough finish to the international year, including a heavy 5-0 loss to England at Wembley. He feels that despite the disappointing result, the team has made progress, particularly in understanding the playing style he wants to implement. He also emphasized the importance of continued player development and hoped that those not getting enough game time at the club level would seek loan moves to get more playing opportunities.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria expressed their disappointment at being drawn against Ireland, whom they see as a tough opponent. Bulgaria’s manager Ilian Iliev mentioned that Ireland’s style of play is similar to that of Northern Ireland, whom they faced recently in a 5-0 defeat. Both Iliev and Bulgaria’s Technical Director, Kiril Kotev, stressed the need to prepare well for the upcoming playoff matches in March, hoping to improve on their previous performances.
