North Macedonia vs England tips and predictions: Three Lions, three goals, three points
- George Dempsey
- 20 November 2023
North Macedonia will hope to spring a major surprise when they conclude a disappointing qualifying campaign at home to England in Skopje.
Gareth Southgate is demanding better from England as they prepare to face North Macedonia on the back of a laboured win against Malta.
North Macedonia vs England team news
Marcus Rashford is expected to miss out after departing with an injury suffered during a collision with Trent Alexander-Arnold in the win over Malta.
Kyle Walker, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Cole Palmer all came off the bench at Wembley on Friday night.
They’re all vying for a place in the starting XI along with Ollie Watkins, Jack Grealish and Kalvin Phillips.
Jani Atanasov should start after his brace from the bench saw Macedonia threaten to come back from a 3-0 deficit in Italy.
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Key stats
- North Macedonia have conceded 18 goals across five games against the top three.
- England have won their previous six away qualifiers against teams outside FIFA’s top 20 by an aggregate score of 28-1.
- England won the reverse fixture 7-0 at Old Trafford.
North Macedonia vs England verdict
North Macedonia are being touted as a tricky opposition on the back of a woeful performance from England.
However, that very performance should provide all the motivation Gareth Southgate’s side needs to make light work of this fixture.
Their famous victory over Italy in the last qualification campaign earned them the tag of dark horses before a ball was kicked.
In reality, they’ve been miles off the pace, failing to beat the three teams placed above them and shipping 18 goals across five matches.
They’ve also found the net five times and while there’s no doubt they carry a threat, even Malta found a way through them, while Ukraine scored three in Skopje.
If England can find their feet on Macedonia's new surface and make an early breakthrough then the floodgates could swing open.
