Conor Bradley is a productive performer in the final third for Northern Ireland and despite being deployed as a right-wing-back against Belarus on Saturday, the Green and White Army’s skipper still managed to have three attempts at goal.

The 22-year-old has been averaging a steady 2.67 shots per 90 minutes in the Nations League this season overall and Bradley let loose twice when he faced the Bulgarians in Plovdiv last month.

Bradley’s teammates at international level recognise his quality and they supply him with the ball whenever possible. The Liverpool wonderkid, who had 77 touches against Belarus, is likely to see plenty of action on Tuesday, so back him to lodge another two shots here.

Trai Hume has amassed just 15 caps for his country and his relative inexperience was exposed in Northern Ireland’s loss to Bulgaria last month when the 22-year-old committed a game-high four fouls on an awkward outing in Plovdiv.

Hume struggled to time his challenges against a technically gifted set of Bulgarian forwards in September and the youngster might be drawn into more uncomfortable positions in Tuesday’s rematch.

Hume has given away at least two free kicks in four of his last six competitive starts for Northern Ireland and the defender provides top value in the 1+ foul bracket again in this one.

Isaac Price was moved from the flank into a more central position in midfield in Northern Ireland’s 0-0 draw with Belarus on Saturday, though the versatile 21-year-old still managed to get a shot on target and a wager in the same direction appeals at the prices on offer again this week.

Price has aimed an attempt on target in six of his last eight appearances for Northern Ireland in competitive contests and the 6’3” box-crashing midfielder managed to get one of his two shots on target when he lined up against Bulgaria last month. Look for the Standard Liege starlet to threaten the Bulgarians’ goal at least once again in Tuesday’s rematch.

Ilian Iliev’s Bulgaria aren’t the most adventurous outfit from an attacking perspective, though they are very comfortable defenders and didn’t concede a single goal in any of their first three Nations League C Group 3 matches.

Their string of three clean sheets included a shutout against Northern Ireland in Plovdiv last month and incredibly, Bulgaria have conceded just five shots on target in total since the new UNL campaign kicked off last month.

Bulgaria have been conceding a mean 1.67 shots on target per 90 minutes in the competitions so far and even if they do slip to an unlikely first loss in Belfast on Tuesday, any margin of defeat is likely to be slim. They should be able to ride out proceedings with a +2.0 goal handicap with relative comfort.

In a tight game between Bulgaria and Northern Ireland last month, Kiril Despodov’s solitary strike was ultimately the difference and the 27-year-old has a knack for delivering match-changing moments for his country.

With four goals in his last seven runouts, Despodov is every inch a talismanic presence for the Bulgarians and the winger, who has been averaging a healthy 2.53 shots and 1.45 shots on target per 90 minutes in the Nations League, is likely to carry a significant threat in Belfast.

Despodov has had more shots on target in his season’s Nations League (four) than any of his teammates and the attacker, who is comfortable shooting off either foot, should have room to find his range at least once at Windsor Park.

Bulgaria leaned on their solid defensive foundations to beat Northern Ireland 1-0 in Plovdiv last month and the Bulgarians remain unbeaten in the Nations League this season following their 0-0 draw with Luxembourg last month.

Remarkably, Bulgaria need just one more positive result to push their unbeaten streak to ten games in all competitions and they have yet to fail a single test under the direction of Head Coach Ilian Iliev, whose appointment last November kicked off their unbeaten surge.

Northern Ireland meanwhile, have failed to win 11 of their last 16 games and they might toil in their attempts to breach a Bulgarian backline that has conceded just twice in seven matches combined in 2024. Side with unbeaten Bulgaria in the generously priced double chance market here.

Callum Marshall formed a decent double act in attack with Jamie Reid against Belarus on Saturday and despite Northern Ireland’s failure to score, that duo registered seven attempts at goal and five shots on target between them.

Marshall accounted for two of those efforts, one of which found the target and the 19-year-old forward has now had at least one accurate strike in three of his last five competitive outings for the Green and White Army.

The 19-year-old’s strong figures (1.93 shots and 1.29 shots on target per 90 minutes) in the Nations League serve to highlight his growing influence on the international stage, and Marshall should be good for another shot on target here, especially if he is paired with his foil Jamie Reid again.

Conor Bradley packs plenty of punch in possession for Northern Ireland, though his aggressive work off the ball is just as notable and the 21-year-old is regularly in the thick of things on the right flank.

Bradley gave away a joint-game-high four free kicks and was fouled twice himself when Northern Ireland lost to Bulgaria in Plovdiv last month and his penchant for engaging in ground duels could ramp up his figures in both directions again in Tuesday’s return fixture.

The wing-back has been averaging 2.33 fouls per 90 minutes in the Nations League overall since September and no Northern Irish player has been collared for more total fouls than Bradley (seven). Expect more crunching challenges from Bradley in Tuesday’s crucial contest.