Ukraine vs North Macedonia prediction 14.10.2023

• Competition: EURO 2024 Qualifiers
• Date: Saturday, 14th October 2023
• Kickoff: 14:00 UTC +1 / 15:00 CEST
• Venue: epet ARENA (Prague)

Ukraine narrowly missed out on qualifying for the previous World Cup after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Wales in the final playoffs match. Despite deserving a victory in that game, they were unable to secure a spot in the tournament. In the UEFA Nations League, they came close to winning their group and advancing to League A, but fell short against Scotland in a match where they deserved better. The upcoming EURO Qualifiers pose a major challenge for Ukraine as they find themselves in a tough group alongside England and Italy. Furthermore, due to the ongoing war, they are unable to play at home. Currently, with seven points in five rounds, they are level with Italy and North Macedonia, although Italy has played one fewer game.

North Macedonia came close to qualifying for the World Cup, but similar to Ukraine, they were defeated in the final Playoff game against Portugal. Following the WC Qualifiers, their performance in the UEFA Nations League C was disappointing as they finished in 3rd place, only surpassing Gibraltar. The Lynxes had a promising start in the EURO Qualifiers, earning seven points in five rounds. However, it’s worth mentioning that six out of those seven points were obtained against Malta.

Ukraine vs North Macedonia pick: Ukraine to win and cover the -1 AH spread

Despite both teams having the same number of points, seven each, the situation is quite misleading. This is because North Macedonia accumulated six points from their two matches against Malta, whereas Ukraine still has one game against Malta to play.

Just four months ago, Ukraine emerged victorious with a score of 3:2 in Skopje, against North Macedonia. It is well-known that Southeastern teams, including North Macedonia, tend to perform exceptionally well when playing on their home ground. However, despite Ukraine not playing their home matches in Ukraine, the neutral pitch still poses a significant disadvantage for North Macedonia compared to their previous encounter. In their last four away games, North Macedonia had a dismal record, losing three matches and even failing to score in those defeats.

Considering that Ukraine has a stronger overall team and has already emerged victorious in North Macedonia, as well as winning the previous four head-to-head games, we believe that Ukraine is in a better position to win the upcoming game.