On a run of 10 consecutive home wins, England find themselves on the verge of equalling their record of 11 straight home victories set in 1957.
On paper, Three Lions’ fans may be hopeful of a comfortable win over Bulgaria to put them within touching distance of a new record but, as Opta reveal below, their visitors are more than capable of springing an upset:
1.Defensive cover. With both John Terry and Rio Ferdinand injured, Fabio Capello will be relying on two back-up centre-halves for this game. Since 2004, only once have England played a competitive match with both of these players missing: the infamous 3-2 defeat at home to Croatia in November 2007.
2. Open play goals. 14 of Bulgaria’s 17 goals in their ultimately unsuccessful World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign came in open play. All five of the goals England conceded in South Africa came from open play, as did five of the six they conceded during qualifying.
3. Georgi Peev. One of the more experienced players in the Bulgaria squad, right-winger Peev has been in excellent form for club side Amkar Perm this season, launching in 75 crosses: the second-most in the Russian Premier League.
4. Late strikes. Four of the six goals England conceded in World Cup 2010 Qualifying came in the 68th minute or later, whilst Bulgaria were one of only three sides to net three 90th minute goals in qualifying.
5. Valeri Bojinov. All-time Bulgarian top-scorer Dimitar Berbatov may be ruled out of this game, but Bojinov will still be a handful for England’s backline. The former Man City man was Parma’s top scorer in Serie A last season, despite starting only 15 games, and has already found the back of the net in the opening game of the current campaign.
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