North Macedonia vs Wales prediction, expected line-ups, how to watch and stats
Wales travel to Skopje to take on North Macedonia on Tuesday night as both sides look to get the upper hand in World Cup qualifying Group J.
Wales have had a serious bout of ‘new manager bounce’ in recent months, with once fiery Welsh winger Craig Bellamy turning into prime Pep Guardiola… well, not quite, but he has turned his country’s fortunes around.
A seven game unbeaten run is hardly a Herculean feat, especially when your opponents include the likes of Montenegro, Iceland and Kazakhstan (no disrespect to those countries), but the Bellamy era has seen plenty of positives after last year’s Euro play-off agony at the hands of the Poles.
Their defence has been as solid as Mount Snowdon, conceding just five goals in his tenure so far, while the likes of Daniel James and Brennan Johnson bringing their good club form to the international stage.
North Macedonia is next on the list, following a comfortable 3-1 win against the Kazakhs on Saturday, with Blagoja Milevski’s men coming into this one off the back of a 3-0 win against minnows Liechtenstein.
They are a good side at home and are unbeaten in their last seven international fixtures at Skopje, with impressive draws against big guns England and Italy in that run.
The Lynxes will be a tough test, but Wales will be coming into this one full of confidence and they will be determined, with this game likely to be pivotal in the race for a 2026 World Cup spot.
Here, we take a closer look at Tuesday’s fixture including team news, predicted line ups and where to watch.
North Macedonia team news
North Macedonia named a 27-man squad for this round of international fixtures, with their only new call-up being 19-year-old Luka Stankovski.
Expect Stole Dimitriveski to continue in goal, the Valencia stopper has kept six consecutive clean sheets for his country, which is a national record.
The hosts will likely opt with the experienced Enis Bardhi in midfield, the skipper has 18 goals in 70 caps, while Torino’s Elif Elmas is the dangerman, with the attacking midfielder key to North Macedonia’s attacking output.
North Macedonia expected line-up:
Dimitrievski; Dimoski, Zajkov, Musliu, Alioski; Bardhi, Alimi; Churlinov, Elmas, Trajkovski; Miovski
Wales team news
There are no new injury concerns for Bellamy at the time of writing, with the full squad getting through the Kazakhstan clash with no further injuries.
Aaron Ramsey is the most notable absentee from the squad, while Fulham’s Harry Wilson and Ipswich’s Wes Burns have missed out due to sustaining injuries while playing for their clubs.
Bellamy started an attacking quartet of Sorba Thomas, Daniel James, David Brooks and Brennan Johnson on Saturday. They are expected to start again unless the Wales boss opts for fresh legs then Rabbi Matondo, who scored his first Wales goal off the bench on Saturday, could get the nod.
Wales expected line-up:
Darlow; Roberts, Rodon, Davies, Williams; Sheehan, Cullen; Thomas, Brooks, D. James; Johnson
North Macedonia vs Wales, where to watch and listen
Live TV coverage of the game will be on BBC One Wales, BBC Three, S4C. It will also be shown online via the BBC Sport app and BBC IPlayer.
Live radio coverage will be available via BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.
North Macedonia vs Wales stats
- The two sides have met just twice before in 2014 World Cup qualifying Group A, with both sides winning one game apiece
- North Macedonia were 2-1 victors when they last met in Skopje, Ivan Trickovski and Aleksandr Trajkovski scored for the hosts, while Aaron Ramsey was on the scoresheet for Wales via the penalty spot
- Wales won the Cardiff fixture 1-0, with Simon Church getting the winner for Wales
- There are 38 places between the two in the world rankings, with Wales ranked 29 and North Macedonia 67
- North Macedonia have won their last six games, not conceding a goal in the process
- Wales have not lost since Craig Bellamy took over, with the unbeaten run now seven games (4W, 3D)
Craig Bellamy quotes on North Macedonia
“They’re a good team,” said Bellamy. “We have to be at our best. Do I have sleepless nights over it? No. There’s more important things.
“I like the challenge of being able to prepare a team to go to somewhere like North Macedonia. I would like the opportunity to prepare a team to go to Brazil. I want to improve and I want the players to improve.
“I don’t look at everything like living with a knife between my teeth. It’s the challenge you have to embrace and be excited about. North Macedonia leaves a lot to be excited about.”
Referee stats
Jerome Brisard has the whistle for this one, the Frenchman has overseen 18 games this season and has issued an average of 3.9 yellow cards per game, while he has also sent three players off.
The referee has not officiated a Wales of North Macedonia game in his career.
It will only be the third World Cup qualifier he has refereed in his career
North Macedonia vs Wales prediction
