Borislav Mihailov, the president of the Bulgarian Football Union, has said that he expected nothing less than the full six points up for grabs from Bulgaria's remaining two World Cup qualifiers, Cyprus away on October 10 and Georgia at home four days later.

"I expect two victories from the lads and I hope luck will be with us. Cyprus has never beaten us in an official game and I am sure they will be up for it. The match will be difficult for us," he said, as quoted by Dnevnik daily on October 9 2009.

"The weather there is warm, humid, but if we want to have any hope of reaching the playoffs, we'll have to go and beat them," he said.

"There is a strong belief amongst the lads, the morale is good. I have no doubt in my mind that Montenegro will be up and preparing to beat Ireland, this is a new country, with a new football federation, and they will play for nothing less than victory," he said.

The Bulgarian squad departed for Cyprus on October 9 and the crucial qualifier will be on October 10 at 8pm. The match will be broadcast by the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), with live coverage set to begin at 7.45pm.

Bulgaria is third in its group with 11 points, trailing nine points behind group leaders Italy and, crucially, five behind second-placed Republic of Ireland.

Bulgaria could still qualify for the playoffs and earn a ticket to Sough Africa, but those forlorn hopes rest on the side bagging six points from its remaining two matches – not an impossible task by any means – but also on Ireland losing at home both to Italy and Montenegro.