Another commanding victory for Spain against Bulgaria?
The Spanish national soccer team must fulfill its next obligation on Tuesday evening on the road to the 2026 World Cup. The Bulgarian team will be the visitors on the fourth matchday of the qualifiers. Valladolid will therefore host a classic clash between David and Goliath. On one side is the undisputed leader of Group E. On the other is the team at the bottom of the table. Logically, my Spain vs. Bulgaria prediction is therefore clearly in favor of the home side, who, incidentally, already won the first leg 3-0 away, a result they fully deserved.
With less than a year to go before the World Cup kicks off in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, “La Roja” continues to be in dazzling form. Not only has the reigning European champion not lost a single international match in regular time since March 2024, underscoring its intercontinental dominance, but the way coach Luis de la Fuente’s team dominates its matches at will is equally impressive.
After three match days in Group E, the Iberians have the maximum nine points to their name and have not conceded a single goal. The aforementioned 3-0 win in Bulgaria was followed by a 6-0 triumph in Turkey and a comfortable 2-0 win over Georgia on Saturday evening. On Tuesday evening, the prediction of another (clear) victory for the favorites, including a clean sheet, should also be a mere formality between Spain and Belgium.
Important to note: The southern Europeans were always in the lead at halftime. A total of seven of the eleven goals scored in this World Cup qualifier were scored before the break. If Ferran Torres had converted his penalty against Georgia at the weekend, a bet on the half-time handicap (-1.5) in favor of the World Cup favorites would have paid off in all three matches. Statistically, there are therefore sufficient indications to explain why, in my opinion, the Spain vs. Bulgaria odds for a half-time lead of two or more goals represent a good balance between return and risk. After all, the Interwetten app is offering a peak of 1.65.
With a little more risk-taking, the time frame for the first goal can even be narrowed down separately. If the star ensemble, which currently has to do without Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams due to injury, manages to score again in the opening quarter of an hour, a corresponding bet on Betano would yield a solid 2.02 as the maximum odds.
Spain – Bulgaria Head-to-head record
Spain and Bulgaria have only met four times in international competition. With three wins and one draw, the Spanish team has never suffered a defeat. Admittedly, however, the head-to-head record is irrelevant for the upcoming match. Before the first leg in early September, which Spain won 3-0 thanks to three goals in the first half, the teams last met over two decades ago.
Regardless, it’s a clash of worlds in terms of quality, both individually and as a team. Anything other than a landslide victory for “La Roja” would therefore surprise me greatly. The betting provider Merkur Bets offers an extensive selection of general handicap bets.
Spain – Bulgaria Tip
As was to be expected in the run-up to this World Cup qualifier, the Bulgarian national team is merely acting as a point provider in Group E. The underdog has lost all three games so far by a clear margin and has put up little resistance, with a goal difference of 1:12. A new low was reached a few days ago with a 1-6 home defeat to Turkey, which is an indication that it is likely to be a long Tuesday evening in Valladolid for the completely overwhelmed 86th-ranked team in the world.
As in the first leg, when “La Furia Roja” led 3-0 after just 40 minutes, I expect the European champions to set the course for victory early on and go into halftime with a comfortable lead. In conjunction with the fact that the favorites have already scored in the first ten minutes in two of three qualifying matches, I am pushing the betting odds between Spain and Bulgaria to 1.65 on the halftime handicap (-1.5) in favor of the Spaniards at Interwetten.
