Last season the Bulgarian sides teamed up to knock Ludogorets off the top spot and CSKA Sofia played their part by lifting the cup after a tense penalty shootout against Lokomotiv Plovdiv. Three years away from Europe has left the Sofia giants hungry and they will be looking to make home advantage count against Derry City. The visitors arrive with match sharpness from the Irish league but their recent form has been patchy at best.
Team Form
CSKA start the new campaign at home and will expect to control proceedings from the first whistle. Derry City on the other hand have managed only two wins in their last ten outings and have kept just one clean sheet on the road since April. The standard in the Irish league is no higher than what they will face here so their leaky defence remains a big worry.
- CSKA won the Bulgarian Cup on penalties last term
- Derry City have not kept a clean sheet away in six matches
- Both sides average over 2.3 goals per game in recent fixtures
Tactical Analysis
Expect CSKA to press high and use their wide attackers to stretch the Irish backline. Derry will sit deep and look for quick breaks through their lively forwards but the lack of defensive steel means they could concede early. Set pieces will also play a big role with both teams showing weakness in dealing with crosses and second balls.
The midfield battle will decide how many chances each side creates and if CSKA can win that area they should create enough openings to score at least twice.
Betting Proposal
Given the attacking intent from the home side and Derry’s poor record on the road the most sensible play is for both teams to find the net. The odds sit at 1.90 and that looks value with the types of goals we have seen from both clubs lately.
Both teams to score – Yes
