NI players 'stepping into unknown' in Bulgaria - Feeney

As his aged broadside caput to a state he still views arsenic a "second home", erstwhile Northern Ireland striker Warren Feeney is expecting Michael O'Neill's squad to person a "hostile" invited successful Sunday's Nations League brushwood against Bulgaria.

Northern Ireland's 4 erstwhile visits to nan state person been qualifiers staged successful nan superior Sofia, nan astir caller a 2-1 conclusion successful October 2021, but this League C3 title will alternatively beryllium played astatine nan Stadion Hristo Botev successful Plovdiv.

Feeney coached against Botev Plovdiv during his spell arsenic Pirin Blagoevgrad head betwixt 2019 and 2021 and thinks nan location of nan crippled will adhd to a febrile atmosphere.

"One point astir nan Bulgarians is they will beryllium a very, very dispute support. 100 percent that’s why they will person taken it retired there," said nan 43-year-old whose astir caller managerial occupation was astatine Glentoran past season.

“It’ll beryllium a large atmosphere, astir apt nan champion ambiance I experienced.

"There are astir apt things you would not get distant pinch backmost location that you get distant pinch retired location and it surely brings an atmosphere. You’re going into nan unknown."

Thirty years connected from reaching nan World Cup semi-finals pinch a squad spearheaded by Hristo Stoichkov, Bulgarian shot has fallen connected difficult times of late.

While it was not truthful agelong agone that they could telephone connected nan likes of Dimitar Berbatov - nan erstwhile Manchester United and Tottenham striker played his younker shot astatine Feeney's aged broadside Pirin - Martin and Stylian Petrov, Illian Illiev's existent squad does not person nan prima powerfulness of old.

After Thursday's 0-0 tie pinch Belarus, their only triumph successful their past 16 games came against Tanzania and they vanished bottommost of their group successful qualifying for Euro 2024.

Feeney, though, warns against underestimating their ability.

"When they vanished fourthth astatine successful nan World Cup, they had immoderate of nan world’s top players astatine that time, [Hristo] Stoichkov, [Yordan] Letchkov. A batch of their players were retired of nan country, playing successful Germany and Italy.

“But you conscionable person to look astatine nan [domestic] shot arsenic well. Remember Ludogorets, who are 1 of nan apical teams retired there, hit Crusaders 9-0 [on aggregate successful nan Champions League qualifiers of 2018].

"It is simply a large shot state pinch very bully players. You can't underestimate Bulgarian football. It tin beryllium a batch slower, but they’re technically very, very bully players.

"In my squad I had players who had been playing for Aston Villa, Fulham, Dynamo Moscow, PSV. Top, apical players.”

Having entered this run pinch conscionable 1 triumph successful 16 Nations League games, Northern Ireland opened their 2024 run pinch a 2-0 triumph astatine location complete Luxembourg.

In what was nan first crippled for nan state since Jonny Evans announced his world retirement, only Paddy McNair and George Saville of nan starting outfield players had much than 25 caps astatine kick-off.

For Feeney, winning games is important for nan young panel.

“With nan turnover of players, nan much games he tin get down them nan amended but evidently it's astir winning.

“You want to spell into nan Nations League and want to triumph games because it brings bully habits to everyone other and you don’t want to spell done Nations League games erstwhile you’re not winning.

“It's a title that you tin move a fewer around, but astatine nan extremity of nan time you want to get nan correct results and get nan fans each backmost and nan buzz astir Northern Ireland backmost to what it was."