Bulgaria and Malta will face off in a crucial World Cup qualifying match on Tuesday.
Bulgaria is in a fight for second place in Group B, but could face a sticky situation playing against Malta. The nine runner-ups are ranked with the ninth team on the table being eliminated from the second round of qualifiers. Because Group I only has five contestants, the other eight group runner-ups lose points earned against the last place team in their respective group.
In the case of Bulgaria, Malta has almost secured the last place berth in the group. While a win on Tuesday will help the team keep hold of second place (they will not be able to catch Italy for first if the Italians pull off a win against the Czech Republic on Tuesday), they will potentially drop out of the top eight if Norway manages to win on Tuesday against Switzerland. Bulgaria has 10 points in the group, but three of them were earned against Malta; in the second round standings, they only have seven, while Norway has five points on the table (11 in the group stage but six against last place Cyprus).
This is all interesting in theory, but Bulgaria must win in order to maintain that second place spot. The Czech Republic, Armenia and Denmark are all sitting in a tie for third with nine points; a win from any one of those nations coupled with a Bulgarian loss or draw would result in a new second place team in Group B.
For Malta, the match is the team's last chance to potentially land second place. With only three points, a loss or draw would officially eliminate them from achieving second place.
Prediction: Bulgaria will draw 1-1 against Malta.
Start Time: 2 p.m. EST
Watch Live Stream HERE (Free for certain cable subscribers).
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