Qatar will continue their preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals, which they host from November, when they welcome Bulgaria to Education City Stadium in Doha on Saturday night with kickoff at 20:30.
Despite their status as the hosts of the competition, Qatar were still forced to go through the qualification process but only in the second round of the AFC Qualifiers. They passed with flying colors as they dominated Group E, claiming seven wins and a draw in their eight group matches.
This will be the first game of the year for Qatar, who last featured in the FIFA Arab Cup in December where they collected bronze medals, after claiming five victories and one defeat in their six matches. They will be looking to pick up where they left off and continue building the pace ahead of the finals later in the year.
Meanwhile Bulgaria failed to qualify to the FIFA World Cup finals for the sixth time in a row after finishing fourth in Group C of the UEFA Qualifiers with eight points from eight matches.
However, they still have the EUFA Nations League coming up in June and they will be look to use this international break’s friendlies to prepare for continental tournament. They have been inconsistent lately, losing two while winning one and drawing one of their last four matches across all competitions.
They are coming off a 4-0 thumping defeat to Switzerland in the final Group C World Cup qualifying match and will look to quickly bounce back as they look to gain confidence ahead of the UEFA Nations League.
Qatar vs Bulgaria head to head
This will be the first meeting between the two sides. Take a look at their previous result;
Home
- Egypt 4-5 Qatar (AP)
- Qatar 1-2 Algeria
- Qatar 5-0 UAE
- Qatar 3-0 Iraq
- Oman 1-2 Qatar
Away
- Switzerland 4-0 Bulgaria
- Ukraine 1-1 Bulgaria
- Bulgaria 2-1 Northern Ireland
- Lithuania 3-1 Bulgaria
- Bulgaria 4-1 Georgia
Qatar team news
Qatar called a 23-man squad for the upcoming friendlies, although Hassan Al Haydos and Abdulaziz Hatem are unavailable due to injuries.
Bulgaria team news
Bulgaria have called a 25-man squad for the upcoming friendlies and have no injury or suspension concerns.
Prediction and odds
- Qatar win
- Goals under 2.5
- Correct score 2-0
