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North Macedonia vs Italy: Head to head statistics
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North Macedonia vs Italy recommended bets
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North Macedonia vs Italy match preview
Just the name North Macedonia is enough to send shivers down the spine of any Italian supporter, but the two are set to meet again in Skopje.
On 24 March 2022, Aleksandar Trajkovski’s 92nd minute strike in Palermo saw the Macedonians beat Italy 1-0 in a play-off semi-final, thereby ensuring Gli Azzurri would miss out on a second successive World Cup.
535 days on, this defeat still haunts all fans of Calcio far and wide, so can Italy exact some revenge?
This is actually the start of a new era for the reigning European Champions, after Roberto Mancini resigned to take the Saudi Arabia job during the summer.
Fresh from leading Napoli to their first Scudetto in 33 years, Luciano Spalletti has taken over as his successor, and everyone is rightly excited about this.
Following their involvement at the UEFA Nations League Finals in June, where they finished third, Italy are playing catch-up in Group C, currently in third place, with games in hand on everybody.
With Ukraine set to visit San Siro on Tuesday, two wins this week would ensure Spalletti’s team are well-placed to qualify, although anything less would leave them with work to do.
Prior to that aforementioned famous victory over Italy last year, North Macedonia had made their debut at a major tournament, featuring at Euro 2020 after sneaking in via the play-offs.
Blagoja Milevski’s team kicked off this campaign by narrowly beaten Malta 2-1, before suffering back-to-back defeats in June that were soul-destroying in contrasting ways.
First, despite leading 2-0 after an hour, the Red Lynxes were beaten 3-2 by Ukraine Skopje, conceding thrice in 20 second half minutes.
Then, North Macedonia were demolished 7-0 by England at Old Trafford, conceding 7+ for the very first time, making this their heaviest ever margin of defeat.
So, can the home side get back on track at National Arena Toše Proeski, or will Italy prove to be simply too strong this time?
North Macedonia team news
The man who broke Italian hearts last year Aleksandar Trajkovski is likely to lead the line for the hosts.
He actually hasn’t scored for his country since that long-range strike in Palermo, and is currently without a club, having been released by Al-Fayha.
Aberdeen’s Bojan Miovski is a centre-forward option off the bench, while Motherwell midfielder Davor Zdravkovski is hoping to make his senior international debut.
Italy team news
Luciano Spalletti’s first squad does not feature Leonardo Bonucci, Francesco Acerbi, Jorginho, Marco Verratti or Domenico Berardi.
Gianluigi Donnarumma will continue in goal, having started 35 competitive internationals in a row, a sequence that dates back to November 2019.
In the absence of Verratti and Jorginho, Nicolò Barella and Sandro Tonali will be key in midfield, while winger Federico Chiesa appears to be back to his best at Juventus.
Euro 2024 qualifying Group C table
Euro 2024 qualifying Group C results and fixtures
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