UEFA Euro 2024 will take place next summer and the road to qualifying for that tournament continues this week with the latest international break. As clubs across the continent hit the pause button on their domestic leagues, plenty of countries will be hoping to edge closer to the finals. Today, we’ll be taking a look at what should be a fun encounter between Ukraine and North Macedonia.
Ukraine Form GuideIt goes without saying that the Ukrainian national team has been through a lot, as can be said for the country as a whole. In the football sense, however, they need to bounce back after failing to qualify for the World Cup. They have the quality necessary to spring a few surprises, but what they appear to be lacking is some real team cohesion to help transform them into something new.
Following a 2-0 loss to England, Ukraine put together a nice run as they beat North Macedonia, beat Malta and drew with the Three Lions in a rematch. They did, however, come up short just a few days later in a 2-1 loss to Italy.
North Macedonia Form GuideThey may have lost all three group stage games, but North Macedonia still managed to give a great account of themselves when they qualified for Euro 2020. Their hope is that they can return to the big dance in time for Germany next year and although it seems like a big mountain to climb, they have a solid structure as well as the underdog spirit required to get past teams far bigger than them.
After beating Malta, North Macedonia came unstuck in a 3-2 loss to Ukraine and a 7-0 battering away to England. They did well to bounce back, though, earning a point at home to Italy before beating Malta 2-0 on the road.
Match PredictionBoth of these teams have had ups and downs of real significance in qualifying and they’ll both feel as if they’re in with an outside shot of qualifying. It’s probably going to be more physical than technical from whistle to whistle, and with that in mind, we’re going to predict this will finish as a draw.
