Bulgaria vs. England: Euro 2020 Qualifying Odds, Live Stream, TV Info

England will hope to recover from a rare defeat in qualifying when they face Bulgaria in Sofia on Monday.

A 2-1 defeat to the Czech Republic on Friday left England waiting to confirm a place at UEFA Euro 2020. Gareth Southgate's team still lead Group A but need to beat Bulgaria and hope that Montenegro can avoid defeat against Kosovo to seal their spot in the finals.

There is nothing wrong with England's quality in forward areas, thanks to Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho. However, Bulgaria will feel confident about exposing a vulnerable defence looking increasingly mistake-prone during recent qualifiers.

The Three Lions can at least take heart from having emphatically beaten Bulgaria 4-0 when the two sides met at Wembley Stadium in September.

Date: Monday, October 14

Time: 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET

TV Info: ITV1.

Live Stream: ITV Hub. ESPN+.

Odds

• Bulgaria: +1400 (bet $100 to win $1400)
• England: -490 (bet $490 to win $100)
• Draw: +550

Odds courtesy of Caesars.

Concerns over racist abuse and the possible reactions of England players toward it have dominated the buildup to the game. The match will play out in front of a reduced capacity at the Stadion Vasil Levski, with 5,000 seats set to be empty because of incidents of the racist abuse when Bulgaria played Kosovo and the Czech Republic.

Tammy Abraham indicated England players would leave the pitch in response to any abuse form the stands, prompting an angry response from Bulgaria Football Union president Borislav Mihaylov. He dubbed such concerns "the unjust branding of local spectators as people inclined to discriminatory behaviour" in a letter to UEFA, per BBC Sport's Phil McNulty.

Southgate said he "can totally understand" Mihaylov's feelings, but he also made it clear England will follow the three-step protocol to responding to racial abuse laid out by European football's governing body, according to McNulty.

Defeat in Prague ended an unbeaten run of 43 games, stretching back 10 years, in qualifying campaigns. Kane scored from the penalty spot, but the Tottenham Hotspur striker was left to rue mistakes after goals from Jakub Brabec and debutant Zdenek Ondrasek.

Kane told ITV Sport England were off the pace in and out of possession (h/t Joe Krishnan of the Evening Standard): "We were sloppy with the ball, we didn't move it as quickly and we weren't pressing as we normally do."

There wasn't enough creativity at the heart of midfield, where Jordan Henderson and Declan Rice struggled to build play. Chelsea's Mason Mount attempted to assert himself on his senior international debut, but he needed more support:

Of equal concern is how little protection the England midfield afforded a suspect back four, with the Czech Republic allowed to tally chances and build confidence during the first half:

Getting the balance right in the middle will be key, although Southgate's hands have been tied somewhat by James Maddison's withdrawal from these qualifiers through illness.

Bulgaria aren't short on technical quality and have more than one potential match-winner in the final third. Ludogorets playmaker Wanderson and Slavia Sofia's Galin Ivanov have the vision and flair to exploit any gaps between the midfield and defensive lines. Meanwhile, Wanderson's team-mate Marcelinho possesses the pace to worry centre-backs Michael Keane and Harry Maguire.

Former Manchester United captain and current pundit Roy Keane had some choice words for the faltering defensive duo after Friday's game:

The pressure is suddenly on England to prove they are defensively strong enough to reach next summer's tournament and be a strong contender once there. Showing Friday's away-day blues were merely an anomaly would be the perfect start towards winning over the doubters.