Petrov Believes Bulgaria Will Shock England*

From Sky Sports

Stiliyan Petrov has warned England that Bulgaria will be a difficult side to overcome despite the absence of Dimitar Berbatov.

Berbatov retired from international football in May last year to leave Bulgaria without their most gifted player for the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.

Petrov admits there has been criticism of Berbatov's decision in their homeland but he does not blame the striker as he had already had to contend with a lot of negativity whilst he was playing.

Aston Villa midfielder Petrov nevertheless believes Bulgaria are capable of springing a surprise against Fabio Capello's men in Sofia on Friday night.

"Our game plan is to frustrate England by staying solid at the back then exploit their growing anxiety with a winning goal. The problem is where that goal might come from," Petrov told the Daily Mail.

"The negative attitude that so often prevails in Bulgaria has seen off Dimitar Berbatov - far and away our most potent attacking force. There were suggestions Dimi retired from international football for the sake of his club career, but I don't buy that.

"He was constantly pilloried for supposedly falling below the standards expected. Critics lined up to find fault, and, in the end, he decided he'd had enough. Why should he keep having to put up with people on his back all the time?

"It's very sad because we have no-one else close to his calibre, and, in his absence, we are struggling badly to score. It's criminal seeing a talent like his going to waste and those who were sticking the knife in are responsible for teams like England coming here relatively unperturbed, instead of wondering what our star centre-forward might do to them.

"We miss his cutting edge, but England will still be up against a team determined to grasp their last chance of rising to the top in this group. "

Discipline and structure

Bulgaria are currently fourth in Group G, six points adrift of joint leaders England and Montenegro, but have shown signs of progress under Lothar Matthaus and will be desperate to pick up a victory on their home turf.

"Our coach Lothar Matthaus has instilled a discipline and structure into the way we play, making us hard to beat," Petrov added.

"He is building for the future, which may leave us vulnerable, with young players coming in, but he hates losing and has made sure we loathe it just as much. "

"That's why friendships will go out of the window when I line up against the likes of Ashley Young and Stewart Downing.

"The text messages have been flying back and forth and have been quite funny. Let's see who has the last laugh tonight. "

*The title has been changed by Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency)

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