Our prediction for this match:
North Macedonia and Moldova face each other at Mardan Stadyumu (Antalya) in what will be their first meeting since February 2009. Back then the two sides played out a 1-1 draw and yet another close encounter is on the horizon. The likes of Enis Bardhi, Darko Churlinov, Egzan Alioski, and Elif Elmas are the most notable players in Blagoje Milevski’s team, but the 52-year-old is widely expected to mix the squad against Moldova.
The former Soviet republic, on the other hand, were producing fine displays in the EURO 2024 qualifiers, with the team collecting ten points in total in Group E. Moldova and North Macedonia have shared the spoils in each of their last three meetings in all competitions and, taking everything into account, we believe that there is a big value in betting on draw. As for the away team, Heerenveen Ion Nicolaescu is unlikely to be risked as the 25-year-old has recently recovered from his injury.
Highlighted Team (North Macedonia):
Former Yugoslavian republic North Macedonia became member of both FIFA and UEFA in 1994 and they have been competing on the international stage ever since. The Crveni Risovi rolled over Slovenia (4-1) in their first ever official match and the team recorded their biggest win on November 9, 11996, with the team crushing minnows Liechtenstein 11-1 in Eschen-Mauren.
The North Macedonians have yet to qualify for the finals of a major tournament despite the fact that several high-profile footballers played for the former Yugoslav republic. Goran Pandev is undisputedly the team’s most notable player as he played for the likes of Lazion, Inter, Napoli and Galatasaray during his professional career.
Pandev scored his 28th and 29th goal for North Macedonia in a 3-0 win over Belarus in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. However, Goce Seldloski is the most capped player (100). North Macedonia welcome their rivals at Philip II Arena and they wear red shirts with yellow stripe and red shorts when playing at home ground. The colour of their away kits is white.