EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS - 2016/18 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Natsionalen Stadion Vasil Levski - Sofia Saturday 25 March 2017 Bulgaria 20.45CET (21.45 local time) Netherlands Group A - Matchday 5 Last updated 07/06/2017 16:54CET EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS OFFICIAL SPONSORS Previous meetings 2 Squad list 3 Head coach 5 Match officials 6 Competition facts 7 Match-by-match lineups 8 Legend 10 1 Bulgaria - Netherlands Saturday 25 March 2017 - 20.45CET (21.45 local time) Match press kit Natsionalen Stadion Vasil Levski, Sofia Previous meetings Head to Head UEFA EURO 2008 Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached Sneijder 22, Van 08/09/2007 QR (GS) Netherlands - Bulgaria 2-0 Amsterdam Nistelrooy 58 M.Petrov 12; Van 07/10/2006 QR (GS) Bulgaria - Netherlands 1-1 Sofia Persie 62 FIFA World Cup Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached Krol 79 (og); Neeskens 5 (P), 45 23/06/1974 GS-FT Bulgaria - Netherlands 1-4 Dortmund (P), Rep 71, de Jong 78 FIFA World Cup Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached Veenstra 23; Bonev 22/10/1969 QR (GS) Netherlands - Bulgaria 1-1 Rotterdam 60 Bonev 44, Asparuhov 27/10/1968 QR (GS) Bulgaria - Netherlands 2-0 Sofia 65 Final Qualifying Total tournament Home Away Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Total Bulgaria 2 1 1 0 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 10 4 2 4 14 17 Netherlands 2 1 1 0 2 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 10 4 2 4 17 14 2 Bulgaria - Netherlands Saturday 25 March 2017 - 20.45CET (21.45 local time) Match press kit Natsionalen Stadion Vasil Levski, Sofia Squad list Bulgaria Current season Qual. FT No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers - Nikolay Mihaylov 28/06/1988 28 Mersin - 0 0 0 0 CSKA - Georgi Kitanov 06/03/1995 22 - 0 0 0 0 Sofia - Nikolay Krastev 06/12/1996 20 Levski - 0 0 0 0 Defenders - Petar Zanev 18/10/1985 31 Amkar - 1 0 0 0 CSKA - Stanislav Manolev 16/12/1985 31 - 0 0 0 0 Sofia - Vasil Bozhikov 02/06/1988 28 Kasımpaşa - 2 0 0 0 CSKA - Nikolay Bodurov 30/05/1986 30 - 0 0 0 0 Sofia Cherno - Aleksandar Tsvetkov 31/08/1990 26 - 0 0 0 0 More - Strahil Popov 31/08/1990 26 Kasımpaşa - 4 0 0 0 - Aleksandar Vasilev 27/04/1995 21 Ludogorets - 0 0 0 0 CSKA - Anton Nedyalkov 30/04/1993 23 * 2 0 0 0 Sofia Slavia - Stefan Velkov 12/12/1996 20 - 0 0 0 0 Sofia CSKA - Bozhidar Chorbadzhiyski 08/08/1995 21 - 1 0 0 0 Sofia Midfielders Spartak - Ivelin Popov 26/10/1987 29 * 4 2 0 0 Moskva - Ivaylo Chochev 18/02/1993 24 Palermo - 3 0 0 0 - Simeon Slavchev 25/09/1993 23 Lechia - 2 0 0 0 - Georgi Kostadinov 07/09/1990 26 Levski - 2 0 0 0 CSKA - Kiril Despodov 11/11/1996 20 - 0 0 0 0 Sofia Forwards - Alexandar Tonev 03/02/1990 27 Crotone * 3 1 0 0 - Spas Delev 22/09/1989 27 Pogoń - 1 0 0 0 - Andrej Galabinov 27/11/1988 28 Novara - 0 0 0 0 - Bozhidar Kraev 23/06/1997 19 Levski - 0 0 0 0 Coach - Petar Houbtchev 26/02/1964 53 - 3 0 0 0 3 Bulgaria - Netherlands Saturday 25 March 2017 - 20.45CET (21.45 local time) Match press kit Natsionalen Stadion Vasil Levski, Sofia Netherlands Current season Qual. FT No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers - Michel Vorm 20/10/1983 33 Tottenham - 0 0 0 0 - Jeroen Zoet 06/01/1991 26 PSV - 1 0 0 0 - Jasper Cillessen 22/04/1989 27 Barcelona - 0 0 0 0 Defenders - Daley Blind 09/03/1990 27 Man. United * 4 0 0 0 - Joël Veltman 15/01/1992 25 Ajax - 0 0 0 0 - Nick Viergever 03/08/1989 27 Ajax - 0 0 0 0 - Bruno Martins Indi 08/02/1992 25 Stoke - 0 0 0 0 - Kenny Tete 09/10/1995 21 Ajax - 0 0 0 0 - Wesley Hoedt 06/03/1994 23 Lazio - 0 0 0 0 - Matthijs de Ligt 12/08/1999 17 Ajax - 0 0 0 0 Midfielders - Wesley Sneijder 09/06/1984 32 Galatasaray - 3 1 0 0 - Arjen Robben 23/01/1984 33 Bayern - 1 1 0 0 - Georginio Wijnaldum 11/11/1990 26 Liverpool - 4 0 0 0 - Jeremain Lens 24/11/1987 29 Fenerbahçe - 0 0 0 0 - Kevin Strootman 13/02/1990 27 Roma - 3 0 0 0 - Davy Klaassen 21/02/1993 24 Ajax - 4 1 0 0 - Jens Toornstra 04/04/1989 27 Feyenoord - 0 0 0 0 - Tonny Vilhena 03/01/1995 22 Feyenoord - 0 0 0 0 Spartak - Quincy Promes 04/01/1992 25 - 3 2 0 0 Moskva - Rick Karsdorp 11/02/1995 22 Feyenoord - 2 0 0 0 Forwards - Luuk de Jong 27/08/1990 26 PSV - 0 0 0 0 - Bas Dost 31/05/1989 27 Sporting CP - 4 0 0 0 - Memphis Depay 13/02/1994 23 Lyon - 2 2 0 0 Coach - Danny Blind 01/08/1961 55 - 4 0 0 0 4 Bulgaria - Netherlands Saturday 25 March 2017 - 20.45CET (21.45 local time) Match press kit Natsionalen Stadion Vasil Levski, Sofia Head coach Petar Hubchev Date of birth: 26 February 1964 Nationality: Bulgarian Playing career: PFC Litex Lovech, PFC Levski Sofia, Hamburger SV, Eintracht Frankfurt Coaching career: PFC Slavia Sofia, Chernomorets Pomorie, PFC Botev Plovdiv, PFC Beroe Stara Zagora • Made debut for Bulgaria while playing in the second tier in a friendly against Greece in 1984, the first of 35 caps. Hubchev was one of the mainstays of the great Bulgaria side that reached the 1994 FIFA World Cup semi-finals. He also played at EURO '96. • Hubchev came through the ranks of Osum Lovech (now known as Litex Lovech). He was a right-back before establishing himself as a central defender. • In 1989 he moved to Levski, winning the league and cup double in 1993 before departing at the end of that year for Hamburg. In 1996 he moved on to Eintracht, helping them back to the Bundesliga. • Hubchev began his coaching career at Eintracht in 2001, and after a six-month stint as head coach at Slavia Sofia in 2005 he returned to Germany for spells with the reserve sides of Eintracht and Wolfsburg. • In 2009 he was back in Bulgaria at Chernomorets Pomorie, guiding the second division side to the cup final in his first season. Following a brief spell at Botev Plovdiv he had four seasons at Beroe Stara Zagora, leading them to the Bulgarian Cup in 2013. On 3 October 2016 Hubchev succeeded Ivaylo Petev as Bulgaria coach. Danny Blind Date of birth: 01 August 1961 Nationality: Dutch Playing career: RC Souburg, Sparta Rotterdam, AFC Ajax Coaching career: AFC Ajax • Born in Oost-Souburg, in the Zeeland province, Blind played for local amateur outfit Souburg before joining Sparta in 1979. Making his Eredivisie debut in the same year – against AZ Alkmaar on 29 August – he helped Sparta qualify for the UEFA Cup on two occasions. • Signed by Johan Cruyff in July 1986, Blind became Ajax's defensive cornerstone – winning 16 trophies, including five Dutch championships. The club also excelled in Europe, winning the UEFA Cup in 1992, with Blind captaining the side to a UEFA Champions League final defeat of AC Milan in 1995. He added the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup later that year. • Having made his international bow for the Netherlands against Scotland on 29 April 1986, Blind ended his Oranje career 20 years later following a quarter-final penalty shoot-out defeat against France at EURO '96. • Appointed head of youth development at De Toekomst – Ajax's world famous academy – in 2003, having joined the club's technical staff after retiring in 1999 following 537 Dutch top-flight matches for the Dutch giants. Succeeded Ronald Koeman as Ajax coach in February 2005 but sacked 13 months later despite winning Dutch Cup and Dutch Super Cup. Returned to Ajax as technical director in 2008 following a stint at Sparta in a similar role, later becoming assistant to Martin Jol. • Left Ajax in 2012, hired as assistant to Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal in July. Helped guide the Oranje to third place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Confirmed as next Netherlands coach after UEFA EURO 2016, but appointed in July 2015, a year early, after Van Gaal's successor Guus Hiddink stepped down during an ultimately unsuccessful qualifying campaign. 5 Bulgaria - Netherlands Saturday 25 March 2017 - 20.45CET (21.45 local time) Match press kit Natsionalen Stadion Vasil Levski, Sofia Match officials Referee William Collum (SCO) Assistant referees Douglas Ross (SCO) , Francis Connor (SCO) Fourth official John Beaton (SCO) FIFA Match Commissioner Stefano Pucci (ITA) Referee observer Zbigniew Przesmycki (POL) Referee Name Date of birth UEFA matches William Collum 18/01/1979 6 81 William Collum Referee since: 1993 First division: 2005 FIFA badge: 2006 Tournaments: UEFA EURO 2016, 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup, 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, 2006 UEFA European Under-17 Championship Finals 2015 UEFA Super Cup 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Championship FIFA Wold Cup matches involving teams from the two countries involved in this match No such matches refereed Other matches involving teams from either of the two countries involved in this match Stage Date Competition Home Away Result Venue reached 18/09/2008 UEL R1 Stade Rennais FC FC Twente 2-1 Rennes 17/12/2009 UEL GS SS Lazio PFC Levski Sofia 0-1 Rome 14/04/2011 UEL QF FC Twente Villarreal CF 1-3 Enschede 15/03/2012 UEL R16 PSV Eindhoven Valencia CF 1-1 Eindhoven 27/08/2013 UCL PO FC Basel 1893 PFC Ludogorets Razgrad 2-0 Basel 21/10/2014 UCL GS FC Barcelona AFC Ajax 3-1 Barcelona 31/03/2015 FRIE.