Botev Plovdiv (Home)
- Botev Plovdiv have won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five Parva liga games, including a 1-0 away win over Slavia Sofia last weekend.
- Botev are 11th in Parva liga with 33 points from 27 games, while their Black Sea rivals are 13th with 23 points from the same number of matches.
- Baltanov took over at the Plovdiv-based club in February 2026 and has introduced a more structured approach to their play, with a midfield-first 4-2-3-1 that can look to dominate the midfield and dictate the pace.
Spartak Varna (Away)
- Spartak Varna have won one and lost four of their last five in the Parva liga, failing to take a point in their last two away games, both defeats.
- Botev Plovdiv 1912 will be looking to bounce back from a surprise 1-3 home defeat to relegation-threatened Botev Vratsa when they host a Spartak Varna team that have lost three games in a row on Saturday.
- Spartak Varna like to sit deep and compact, inviting pressure onto themselves and looking to hit on the break with their mobile forwards and wide-runners.
- Head coach Gjokica Hadzievski has done a reasonable job since taking the reins in July 2025, making the club tough to beat even when they are struggling for form and results, as they have done in their past three Parva liga matches, including back-to-back home defeats to CSKA 1948 and Ludogorets Razgrad.
Head-to-Head
- Spartak Varna have won four and lost just one of the last five head-to-head meetings between the two teams in the Bulgarian Parva liga.
- Botev and Spartak average 1.5 goals per match in their last five clashes when Botev hosts Spartak, while the Black Sea side have conceded 16 in 13 away league games, an average of 1.23 goals against per game in the 2025-2026 campaign.
Key Players
- The most obvious goalscorer in the team is Franklin Chagas, who has scored two of Botev’s last four league goals, so the rest of the attack will look to the two attacking midfielders for creativity.
- Spartak Varna like to sit deep and compact, inviting pressure onto themselves and looking to hit on the break with their mobile forwards and wide-runners.
Betting Insights
- The odds-on odds for a home win do not appeal, but the Under 2.5 goals bet at 1.9 looks a much better opportunity for profit.
- Botev have scored 12 goals in 13 home Parva liga fixtures this season, so a Botev win and both teams not to score is our preferred pick.
Prediction
Botev will look to find gaps in Spartak’s defence while the visitors will try to frustrate and hit on the counter, so it could be a long, hard afternoon for both teams.
