Italy vs North Macedonia Prediction & Betting Tips - Euro

Prediction published on 17/11/2023, 06:42  by Devesh Jaganath in Euro Predictions

Italy and North Macedonia will face off in the hotly-contested Group C of the Euro Qualifiers on Friday. The hosts are currently in third place, while the visitors are one spot below them. England and Ukraine lead the group, while Malta are the bottom side. Italy are assured a playoff spot, having won their group at the Nations League last year. Still, they will not want to leave anything to chance and will want to get into the top two spots in their last two games of this competition. The Blues come into this match off the back of a 3-1 loss to England last month. That result ended a four-match unbeaten run and left them on ten points after six matches. The hosts trail Ukraine by three points and are six behind England. The reverse fixture between these sides ended 1-1, but the Italians will be determined to claim all three points this time on their home patch. Italy have lost only once in their last five matches at home and are strong favourites to secure another victory here. 

Meanwhile, North Macedonia have kept themselves in contention for a qualification spot, but a loss here will see them exit the competition. They have recorded two wins, one draw, and three losses in their six matches, leaving them on seven points with two games left to play. However, even if they win this match, they could still be knocked out if Ukraine get a draw or better in their final group match against Italy next Monday. The Lynxes were beaten by Ukraine 2-0 in their last match in this competition but bounced back with a 3-1 friendly victory over Armenia last month. They will need to bring the same type of form into this match, though it will be difficult away to the formidable Italians. The visitors have lost four of their last five matches on the road and conceded 12 goals in that time while only scoring two. All indicators suggest they will struggle to get anything from this one.