European qualifier between Bulgaria and Hungary will be played behind closed doors tonight at the national stadium in Sofia

Bulgaria hosts Hungary in Group G European football qualifier. The match at Vassil Levski Stadium in Sofia kicks off at 19:00 on November 16 and will take place behind closed doors.

Before the match there was talk about everything but the expectations from it, as the main focus was on the decisions of the Bulgarian Football Union about where it will be played.

Bulgaria-Hungary European qualifier match moved to Sofia

Concerns about protests are the reason why the match will be in front of empty stands.

Traffic around the National Stadium will be gradually stopped and later restored. The centre of Sofia will be partially blocked today because of a protest against the leadership of the Bulgarian Football Union. Fans will express their discontent at 17.00, two hours before the start of the match Bulgaria - Hungary.

1,600 police officers will guard the area around the Vassil Levski National Stadium before, during and after the match.

Otherwise, the qualifier will be a debut for selector Ilian Iliev, who takes charge of the Bulgarian national team in a period of serious crisis. The national team has not won once in 2023 and is currently on a run of four consecutive defeats, including 0-2 at home to Lithuania in October.

National player Angel Lyaskov comments on Ilian Iliev's debut at the helm of Bulgaria’s men's football team.

"I hope under him we will look more like a team, get a better new look, show character and take responsibility," Lyaskov told BNT.

"The team needs to gain more confidence, which it lacked in the previous games. In two or three days it is difficult. We have good, talented players, but we need to have confidence. When you don't have confidence, it is difficult to show your skills," he said.

Hungary arrives in Sofia aiming for a win that will cement them in first place in the group ahead of Serbia. "The Magyars are the only unbeaten side in this group, but they have failed to win in two of their three away games so far.

The second of these was in Lithuania in a spectacular 2-2 draw in the last qualifying match played on 17 October. Hungary's only away win was thus in Belgrade, but in a match in which they were not the better team on the pitch.

"The coach keeps telling us that we are going to the European Championship. The expectations are very high for us. We know that Bulgaria has a new coach. It will be a different team with a new philosophy, we will analyse them and be ready to win," player Milos Kerkes told BNT.

The match between Bulgaria and Hungary on 16 November (Thursday) will be broadcast live on BNT 1, BNT 3 and bntsport.bg. BNT studio program starts 30 minutes earlier. Guests will be former national Georgi Chilikov and coach Mihail Madanski.