Petrov out to atone for sending off in last game against England
Published:Martin Petrov wants to make amends to the Bulgarian fans he feels he let down over a decade ago when making his international debut against England during qualifying for Euro 2000.
Petrov had only been on the field for eight minutes as a half-time substitute during the match in Bulgaria when he was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Yet despite having the extra man, England could only grind out a 1-1 draw to go alongside the goalless stalemate that had already taken place earlier in the qualifying campaign at Wembley.
The two teams have been drawn alongside each other again for the qualification stages of Euro 2012 and Petrov is keen to ensure that his country takes something out of the game on their first return to Wembley since 1998.
He said: “I keep thinking back to this match and it’s still painful, even after so many years. But I know there’s no better way to get over this than playing against England at Wembley.
“I’ve been to many different countries and I took part in many important matches with the national team but there’s always a special feeling when you’re going to play against England.”
Bulgaria have fared well in their away games with England in the past, losing in only two of the five showdowns and they are 10/1 to collect the three points in their opening Group G game.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria are 12/5 not to lose, with England the heavy 3/10 favourites to bounce back from their disappointing World Cup with victory.
One big way that Petrov could take a stride into atoning for his previous dismissal is to score the first goal of the game against England and he is 18/1 to do so.
A repeat of the 0-0 from Wembley 12 years ago is 10/1. See the whole correct scoreline market for England vs Bulgaria.
