North Macedonia vs Bulgaria prediction: EUROPE: UEFA Nations League – League C betting tips on match 2022-09-25 18:45.
North Macedonia’s recent rise on the international football stage has garnered much attention, although FIFA’s #64 ranked nation have struggled to take things to the next level. Having failed to qualify for back-to-back major tournaments after losing their World Cup qualification play-off final 2-0 against Portugal, North Macedonia’s hopes of earning promotion from UEFA Nations League (UNL) group C4 were abruptly checked by a 2-0 defeat to group-leaders Georgia last time out.
Blagoja Milevski’s men can now only aim to secure second place in the group, with opponents Bulgaria hot on their tail just one point behind. The Lynxes don’t have a favourable H2H record to lean upon (W2, D2, L4), as the 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture was only the third of those eight matches that North Macedonia managed to find the net, though a repeat result would at least see them hang onto second spot in the group.
Bulgaria make the trip fresh off a thumping 5-1 victory over minnows Gibraltar, in which they snapped their eight game winless run (D4, L4) and scored 5+ goals in a game for only the third time this century. That was only Bulgaria’s fourth win in UNL history and their first since winning their inaugural three matches, ending a 13-match winless streak in between (D7, L6).
Only a victory will suffice if Bulgaria are to steal second place in the group from their hosts, and that may be a lot easier said than done for Mladen Krstajić’s men, who last secured consecutive wins in September last year. The Lions have not been the king of the jungle when it comes to hunting on their travels either, as it's been more than four years since Bulgaria’s last victory on the road (D10, L12).
Players to watch: North Macedonia will hope their good luck charm Enis Bardhi will be on song, having won eight of their nine matches which he’s scored, all with an accompanying clean sheet. Meanwhile, Bulgaria’s Kiril Despodov scored in the reverse fixture, with that goal just the second of his seven international goals to arrive before half-time.
Hot stat: At least one side has failed to score in 12 of North Macedonia’s last 15 matches.