- Ludogorets are top of the efbet League Championship Group with around 60 points, but CSKA Sofia are just behind on approximately 56 points.
- Ludogorets dominated the first meeting in March, winning 3-0, but CSKA came back to knock them out of the Bulgarian Cup semi-finals after a 0-0 home draw to progress on aggregate.
- Ludogorets’ recent results in all competitions have been mixed. They beat CSKA 3-0 in the league in March and hammered Spartak Varna 5-1, but lost 1-0 away to Arda and played out a 0-0 home draw with Cherno More.
CSKA and Ludogorets in a tight title race
PFC CSKA Sofia and PFC Ludogorets Razgrad will meet in what could be the game of the season for any Bulgarian soccer fan on Sunday.
The two giants are currently first and second in the efbet League Championship Group with the title race very much on a knife-edge and this could be one of those matchups decided by one moment or a piece of individual brilliance. This PFC CSKA Sofia vs PFC Ludogorets Razgrad preview highlights just how crucial this fixture is for the title chase.
Ludogorets are the favorites to win with the bookmakers at 2.52 and CSKA are not too far behind at 2.71, but PFC CSKA Sofia vs PFC Ludogorets Razgrad prediction suggests CSKA have some good reasons to believe they can get a result on home turf.
Sofia is a long way from Ludogorets
Ludogorets are a high-octane pressing team under coach Per-Mathias Høgmo that dominate the ball and play with a good tempo. They create turnovers and make attacking runs from midfield, but sometimes their press is too intense for their own good. Rwan Cruz, the club’s regular penalty taker and finisher, is a doubt for this match after sustaining an injury in the Cup clash against CSKA.
CSKA’s coach Hristo Yanev is a much more pragmatic strategist who sets his team up to be compact and tough to break down before hitting the opposition with vertical balls and fast breaks. Santiago Godoy is CSKA’s leading scorer and a reliable goalscorer for them, but Leandro Godoy is the clutch finisher and is capable of getting them out of trouble, as he did in the 2-1 away win at Ludogorets in the previous round of the Cup.
Petar Stanić’s heroics in the Europa League this season have seen him become a hot topic for transfer rumors, but if he features, the impact he can have on the game will be covered in our PFC CSKA Sofia vs PFC Ludogorets Razgrad prediction.
Ludogorets won the big matchup in March
The two teams have been pretty evenly matched in their last three meetings in all competitions with Ludogorets dominant in the March league fixture, but CSKA took their scalp in the semi-final of the Bulgarian Cup.
Ioannis Pittas was the standout player in that clash, coming off the bench to score the winner for CSKA in their 2-1 win at the Ludogorets Arena.
Ludogorets have been capable of some high-scoring wins recently, but also dropped points at home and away in recent top-four phase matches. When discussing PFC CSKA Sofia vs PFC Ludogorets Razgrad prediction, it's worth noting CSKA have been strong away but less impressive at home, falling 3-1 to Levski in the derby and then grinding out a 0-0 draw to clinch their Cup semi-final progression.
A nervy matchup awaits
With the title on the line, both teams have plenty of psychological baggage to overcome, so this could be a tense affair. We like Under 2.5 goals at 1.69 here as that has been the norm in recent head-to-heads. Ludogorets have been high-scoring but their home draw with Cherno More is a bad omen for them here, while CSKA’s derby defeat shows they can be vulnerable at their own place. This PFC CSKA Sofia vs PFC Ludogorets Razgrad betting tips section leans towards a tight contest.
A draw is our main selection in the match result market and we can see this finishing either 1-1 or 1-0 either way, with Ludogorets’ Kwadwo Duah, a scorer in both March and April matchups, a potential hero for them.
