Current European champions Italy are hot on their heels in Group C of the UEFA EURO 2024 qualifiers, and this Saturday, they will travel to Skopje to take on Northern Macedonia. With only two matches played so far, Italy are outside the top two. They suffered a heartbreaking loss in the Nations League in the latest round of international matches.
For North Macedonia, the new year brought new hope as they beat Malta in their first qualifier for 2023, followed by Far** Island in a friendly in March. However, three months ago they were met with a harsh reality in their second Group C match against Ukraine. They jumped out to a two-goal lead in the match, only to be turned back by the Ukrainians 3-2. They were then beaten 7-0 at Old Trafford vs.
The biggest loss suffered by a North Macedonian team in a Euro qualifier has dropped them to the bottom two in Group C, just above Malta, who have zero points. Only San Marino, Gibraltar and Liechtenstein have conceded more goals in the competition so far. However, they can find some solace in their recent results, having scored in their last six home Europa League qualifiers, but they lost 3-2 against Ukraine, which snapped a run of four consecutive home wins in the preliminary round.
Moreover, the Italian team is currently going through a transformation, following their victory in the Europa League final at the Wembley Stadium, but since then they have weakened significantly, as they failed in the World Cup qualifiers and even swallowed a 3-0 defeat in their hands.
In their opening Euro 2024 qualifier, England retaliated by beating Italy 2-1. In their second match, however, Italy made up for the lost points by beating Malta 2-0. However, while England continued to pull away in the rankings in June, Italy were busy competing for Nations League honors.
Due to their dominance in the national league standings, they will have a chance to advance through the play-offs if they fail to finish in the top two. This Saturday, they are expected to take a revenge for their World Cup 2022 qualifying defeat with a soccer lesson against North Macedonia.
For the prediction of this match, I think Italy will beat North Macedonia with a score of 2-0. Although they might need some time to adapt to the new tactical system after the managerial change, they are strong enough to win the game in Skopje.