Gibraltar women head to Bulgaria for first of two matches

Gibraltar Women head into their final two Women's European Qualifier group matches. Their first opponent in this week's double-header will be Bulgaria in Slavia, Sofia.

Playing in Group C2, Gibraltar have played four matches and currently sit bottom of the table.
In their debut European Qualifiers campaign, they have yet to score a goal in the group stages, having conceded 21 goals in the process.
Gibraltar face the reverse fixtures from their opening group matches. They first played Kosovo away from home, losing 6-0, before hosting Bulgaria.

The latter was Gibraltar's first home match in the European Qualifiers and was marked by the Bulgarian side having to play in Gibraltar's kit after their own kit failed to arrive.
It proved to be a difficult evening, with Bulgaria going on to win 5-0, celebrating their victory whilst still wearing the Gibraltar shirt.
Gibraltar then faced Croatia both at home and away within the space of four days.

Showing some grit in front of their home crowd, the Gibraltar side surprised many by conceding just a solitary goal against what were considered the favourites for the group. The goal, however, proved decisive as Gibraltar suffered another defeat.
Croatia were to prove too strong away from home. Having learnt from the first encounter, Croatia went on to win 9-0, erasing much of the good work that had been seen in the earlier fixture.

Gibraltar play Bulgaria this Thursday, June 5, and will be hoping to close the gap.
Whilst victory may be beyond most expectations, breaking their goal drought would provide a confidence boost to a side which has grown with every game played on the international stage.

A win against Bulgaria, although against the odds, would see Gibraltar draw level on points with their opponents heading into their final match.
Their final group game will be against Kosovo, who currently sit top of the table with an unbeaten record from four matches.
Kosovo will be a tough side to face, having scored 12 goals in their first four matches whilst conceding just two.
Guided by head coach Stella Gotal, Gibraltar were this boosted during the preparations by the return of Rowbottom who had been kept out following an injury. An experienced defender her return on the field during training boosted morale with her presence.