North Macedonia – England

How many goals will England send against an obvious outsider?

A round before the finish of European qualification, it is safe to say that England has become one of the best national teams. In seven matches, the Three Lions lost only two points and demonstrated an average performance of three goals per game. Such results allowed the English to secure a trip to Germany well before the final round. North Macedonia kept Italy out of the World Cup in the last qualifying campaign, but they showed less fervour in this qualifier. Before the final game of qualification, the Macedonians played better than only modest Malta and have no chance to rise above fourth position. Most likely, England need the upcoming match to practise new game connections. Northern Ireland can use this match to boost their self-esteem. It's no secret that in recent years this national team has beaten not only Italy but also Germany. Bookmakers have identified the guests as favourites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 1.15 on their victory. Blagoj Milevski's team in recent years has shown itself as one of the strong middles of continental football. In qualifying for the 2021-2022 World Cup in Qatar, North Macedonia finished second to Germany in the group stage before knocking out Italy in the play-off semi-finals, leaving one of Europe's most titled teams without a Mundial. The Macedonians played the current qualifying stage below their usual level. The team lost both matches against Ukraine, as well as away games against Italy and England. Moreover, North Macedonia lost to the pioneers of football in Manchester with a humiliating score of 0:7. The English team beat direct competitors for the Euro in the form of Italy and Ukraine in the opening rounds, leaving only questions about the final first place in the group. However, the English had already solved this problem in early autumn. By the last round of the qualifying stage England came to the last round having won six out of seven matches, having lost points only after the meeting with Ukraine in Wroclaw. The English beat Malta 2-0 at home on Friday, so it is unlikely that they will win more convincingly in Skopje.