North Macedonia vs Scotland – News and Probable Lineups

No victories have been achieved by either Escócia or North Macedonia so far, as they look to kick off their UEFA Nations League campaigns positively when they clash in Skopje on Saturday.

The home team currently sits at the bottom of League B Group 1, trailing their opponents by a point, which already indicates a battle against relegation.

Match overview

In a show of their status as group favorites, Suíça cruised to a 3-0 victory at Hampden Park on Tuesday evening, after Escócia had to navigate most of their first home game with just 10 players on the field.

Jack Hendry’s premature red card turned out to be quite detrimental, resulting in the hosts remaining scoreless for a fourth consecutive match, which also included two matches without goals against Brasil and Marrocos during this summer’s World Cup.

In between these fixtures, Sebastien Pocognoli’s debut in charge ended in a goalless stalemate in Eslovênia, marking a less than ideal beginning for the Belgian manager.

A further loss on Saturday would mark him as the fourth Escócia boss to fail to win any of their opening three matches, yet there remains an opportunity to rectify matters in Group 1.

With two additional games planned for November, there are also two left in this current round; before they resume facing Eslovênia in Glasgow, the Scots must head to Skopje.

Since their first loss to North Macedonia back in September 2008, they have remained undefeated in three encounters, showcasing a notably solid away record.

Under the management of former head coach Steve Clarke, Escócia has lost just one of their last seven away matches in all competitions, managing to keep a clean sheet in five of those.

Nevertheless, the hosts have usually proven to be resilient at the Tose Proeski Stadium, having not suffered back-to-back home defeats since 2019.

Although the Lynxes did experience a 3-0 defeat at home against Suíça during the first round, they will be looking to get back to form this weekend.

Following their loss to the Swiss, Goce Sedloski’s team faced a 2-0 defeat in Eslovênia on Tuesday night, allowing two goals after half-time.

This has been a disappointing start for Sedloski, who earned 100 caps for his national team as a player, with a record of no wins or goals from his first five matches in charge.

Overall, North Macedonia has now gone six consecutive matches without scoring, setting a new national record for futility.

After securing promotion from League C last time, this Nations League campaign is likely to falter if they do not end this goal drought soon.

Team News

Due to his suspension following the red card received against Suíça, Hendry’s absence compels Pocognoli to alter the Escócia starting lineup at least once.

With Napoli star Scott McTominay out of the lineup, club teammate Billy Gilmour could team up with Bologna captain Lewis Ferguson in central midfield.

Kieron Bowie will be hoping for another opportunity to play in attack after he was taken off when Hendry was dismissed just 11 minutes in; however, emerging talent Robbie Ure is also in the mix to partner with Oli McBurnie.

Andy Robertson is on the verge of reaching his 100th cap playing on the left side, closing in on Kenny Dalglish’s national record of 102; John McGinn marked his 91st appearance on Tuesday, elevating him to joint-third place.

As Robertson is set to captain the visitors, North Macedonia’s skipper Enis Bardhi is poised to earn his 84th cap, additionally contributing 20 international goals.

Both Boban Nikolov and Ezgjan Alioski have withdrawn from the squad, with Alioski sustaining a calf injury on matchday one.

Teenage midfielder Matej Gashtarov leads the hosts in tackles, interceptions, and recovered possession in Group 1 so far, and is expected to start in the midfield again.

North Macedonia probable starting XI:

Dimitriexi; Ilieksi, Zajkov, Musliu, Alomerovic; Atanasov, Gashtarov; Mitroxi, Bardhi, Elmas; Mioxi

Scotland probable starting XI:

Gunn; Binks, McKenna, Welsh; Hickey, Gilmour, Ferguson, McGinn, Robertson; Bowie, McBurnie

Remarkably, these teams have gone a combined 10 matches without finding the back of the net, making it unlikely for this to be a high-scoring affair.

Both teams and their respective managers are already facing pressure to deliver results, but Escócia should be able to secure the win in Skopje.