Last Updated on June 14, 2023 2:14 pm by Erwin Noguera
The club seasons are over but the Euro 2024 qualifiers have returned and North Macedonia will receive Ukraine in a key duel between two teams that will seek to fight for Group C against England and Italy.
The Balkan team got off to a good start by beating Malta 2-1 in the first group game and will hope to continue in the same vein.
For its part, the team from Eastern Europe opened with a defeat against England (2-0), so it cannot afford to lose again.
When:
Friday, June 16 at 2:45 pm ET at the Toše Proeski Arena
Moneyline odds:
North Macedonia +270
Ukraine -109
Draw Offs:
+225
Where Can I Watch?
Why Bet on North Macedonia?
It will not be an easy task for North Macedonia. In a group with Italy and England, they will have to fight to stay with one of the first two places or try to go to the playoffs. However, that will depend on more factors because their place in the UEFA Nations League is taken into account.
In the first game of this qualifying round, they beat the weak Malta 2-1 with goals from Eljif Elmas and Darko Churlinov but suffered more than necessary against an inferior team, so they have to improve their performance.
It must be remembered that Macedonia qualified for its first European Championship in 2020 and last year was close to going to its first World Cup after eliminating Italy in the semifinals of the playoffs (1-0) but losing in the final with Portugal (2-0).
Now without Goran Pandev, the team depends a lot on what its two stars can do: the Napoli midfielder, Eljif Elmas, and the Rayo Vallecano goalkeeper, Stole Dimitrievski.
Why Bet on Ukraine?
The political, economic, and social situation in Ukraine continues to be very tough, and that undoubtedly affects the players mentally. Precisely Oleksandr Zinchenko, the team’s captain and star, who will not be this Friday due to injury, was in his country this week talking about the pain that it caused him to see how everything is.
However, in football terms, the Ukrainians will also have the same fight as North Macedonia, although they have better weapons. This Monday they tied 3-3 as visitors with Germany, who scored a goal at minute 83 and another from a penalty at 90+1, showing that they have what to fight against England and Italy.
In their first group game, they lost 2-0 to the English team, so now they must win. Ukraine needs Mykhaylo Mudryk to recover the good level shown at Shakhtar since this half-season with Chelsea was very very bad. The 22-year-old is the hope of his team and had a good game against the Germans, setting up the second goal after his shot impacted Antonio Rüdiger and got inside the net.
Final Betting Analysis: North Macedonia vs. Ukraine
It will be an even game where both teams will try to win since they know they are direct rivals and that this is a decisive game to see if they can fight for a place in the next Euro. Ukraine has better individuals that we believe will be decisive and give them victory.
At MyBookie.ag we find that Ukraine is the favorite of the match with a Moneyline of -109, while North Macedonia has +270 and the draw is +225.
The last time they met was on June 17, 2021, in the last Euro Cup and Ukraine won 2-1, while in the 2016 Euro qualifiers, the Ukrainians won both games: 1-0 at home and 0-2 as visitors. In addition to those 3, they have met 2 more times in friendly matches: a 1-0 win for Macedonia in 2004 and a goalless draw in 2003.
Go for a straight win for Ukraine in the Moneyline. If you bet $100 on the win at -109, you will gain $92 for a total payout of $192.
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