Kraev and Bulgaria will take on the Republic of Ireland in the UEFA Nations League play-offs, with the first leg set for March 20 2025, in Plovdiv and the return leg on March 23 in Dublin.
The stakes are high, as both teams fight to retain their place in League B and avoid relegation to League C.
Bulgaria’s squad features a mix of experience and youth, with key players like Kiril Despodov and Valentin Antov expected to play a crucial role.
Western Sydney Wanderers star Bozhidar Kraev has also earned a call-up and will add creativity in midfield. However, the team will have to cope without injured stars Todor Nedelev and Spas Delev.
Ireland, under Heimir Hallgrímsson, will look to capitalize on home advantage in the second leg. With Sammie Szmodics sidelined, the attacking responsibility will likely fall on Evan Ferguson and Troy Parrott. New faces like Josh Honohan and Rocco Vata could also make an impact.
Both sides will aim for a strong first-leg performance, knowing that a positive result in Plovdiv could be decisive in securing their Nations League status.
Bulgarian Squad for Nations League Play-Offs
Goalkeepers:
- Dimitar Mitov (Aberdeen)
- Plamen Iliev (Cherno More)
- Dimitar Sheytanov (Septemvri Sofia)
Defenders:
- Valentin Antov (Cremonese)
- Aleksandar Petkov (Śląsk Wrocław)
- Simeon Petrov (Fehérvár)
- Fabian Nürnberger (Darmstadt)
- Hristiyan Petrov (Heerenveen)
- Zhivko Atanasov (Cherno More)
- Viktor Popov (Cherno More)
- Nikolay Minkov (Botev Plovdiv)
- Anton Nedyalkov (Ludogorets)
Midfielders:
- Ilia Gruev (Leeds United)
- Andrian Kraev (Casa Pia)
- Filip Krastev (PEC Zwolle)
- Georgi Milanov (Dinamo Bucharest)
- Vasil Panayotov (Cherno More)
- Kristiyan Stoyanov (Slavia Sofia)
- Marin Petkov (Levski Sofia)
- Ilian Iliev Junior (CSKA Sofia)
- Stanislav Shopov (CSKA Sofia)
Forwards:
- Kiril Despodov (PAOK)
- Bozhidar Kraev (Western Sydney Wanderers)
- Lukas Petkov (SV Elversberg)
- Radoslav Kirilov (CSKA 1948)
- Stanislav Ivanov (Arda)
- Vladimir Nikolov (Slavia Sofia)
