Bulgaria will arrive at Windsor Park to face Northern Ireland on Tuesday night on a record-equalling unbeaten run but one that is leaving their manager Ilian Iliev wanting more.
Friday’s 0-0 draw with Luxembourg made it nine without defeat since Iliev took over last November but only two of those games have produced a victory – one of them last month’s 1-0 win over Northern Ireland in Plovdiv.
“I think it’s a good thing that I’ve equalled the record for the most games unbeaten in charge of Bulgaria but I would prefer to record some more wins along the way,” Iliev said through a translator.
“We’ve registered a few draws but this is the process and we need to build our style and boost our confidence and games like this can do that…
“During this nine-game unbeaten run we’ve never played for a draw. We’ve always looked for our opportunity and we are searching for the victory, so I really hope we are going to find a way to achieve it.”
At a press conference in Belfast on Monday, Iliev was asked by a travelling reporter how, in the city famed for building the Titanic, he planned to avoid sinking at Windsor Park.
“We have to find a way to match the aggressive style of Northern Ireland and we have to be creative when we have the ball,” he said. “It will be very difficult just to defend for 90 minutes so we have to take the initiative.”
Bulgaria found a way to beat Michael O’Neill’s side in Plovdiv last month when a poor pass from Bailey Peacock-Farrell was picked off by Aleksandar Kolev before Kiril Despodov finished.
Northern Ireland were much better in the second half but could not find a way past Aberdeen goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov, who is confident Bulgaria can get at Northern Ireland again on Tuesday.
“We know there is a lot of quality in their game with players playing in top teams but it is important for us going into the game that we do our best to follow our game plan,” Mitov said.
“We have more than enough quality in our team to hurt them. We forced them into the mistake, we managed to score, we managed to keep a clean sheet so it was good for us.
“This process takes a long time and we are getting there step by step. We are thinking about the next game and I hope we just continue our rise in this positive trend.”