Italy vs. North Macedonia Preview, Odds, Prediction

Italy meets North Macedonia in the World Cup qualifiers playoffs on Thursday evening. The reigning European champions failed to secure a ticket for Qatar directly from the group stage and now have to endure massive challenges. On the other side, North Macedonia is coming into this event without any pressure. Even being in this position is a massive success for the team from the Balkans. They are massive underdogs but don’t forget, this unit managed to beat Germany on the road.

Preview

Italy (-500) is in serious trouble. They can easily stay out of the World Cup, which would be a first-class sensation. After lifting the trophy at the EURO, Azzurri played seven games, and won only two of them.

What is even worse, Roberto Mancini’s unit netted two or more goals only twice during that stretch, and it seems that something isn’t right in the locker room. A lot of the Italian players have been injured, especially in the back line, which might have disrupted the chemistry.

Four of those seven games were with two or three goals, meaning that they had a moderate efficiency. For some, all the problems are due to a championship hangover and the fact that the team relaxed and started playing more casually than they should.

North Macedonia (+1200) has only one defeat in the recent seven clashes, with a record of three wins, three draws, and one loss. The positive thing is that those three triumphs came over the past four events.

As mentioned earlier, Macedonia shocked Germany on the road, 1-2, and that was one of the biggest reasons why they ended second in the group behind Die Mannschaft.

Six of the past eight games they played saw only one side netting, but seven ended with three or more goals. Funny thing, but that’s the way it is.

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Mario Balotelli isn’t on the Italian roster even though there were some speculations that he might be called up due to the recent scoring struggles. In the end, Mancini decided that it would be better without the controversial striker.

As for Macedonia, all the players are ready, but the legendary Goran Pandev is no longer on the team as he retired following the EURO. His presence on the field would come quite handy now, as he is a Serie A veteran and knows all of the rivals’ players.

Head to Head

The two sides met in the World Cup qualifiers back in 2017. The game in Italy ended 1-1, and the first in Skoplje 2-3 for Azzurri. Italy would finish second and after that lose to Sweden in the playoffs.

Prediction

There isn’t much to say here and explain. No matter the current condition and all the trouble, the Italians are massive favorites and should win this event without any particular trouble. Simply, they are a better team and have the home-court advantage meaning that all the factors for a routine win are on their side. We are going with Italy winning and covering a -1.5-goal handicap.

Pick: Italy -1.5

Here is the preview for other WC qualifiers playoff game:

Portugal vs. Turkey