North Macedonia vs Liechtenstein
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Today’s free tip is in the World Cup Qualifier between North Macedonia and Liechtenstein
Although without a few players for this game, I’m not overly concerned for Macedonia. For example, one of them is Trickhovski, and as he’s aged, he’s looked less capable of playing at a high level anyway. There are numerous Macedonia fans clamouring for Ibraimi to be dropped for the same reason too. I think those subject matters will be more relevant against Germany three days from now though, as opposed to hosting one of the worst Liechtenstein teams I’ve ever seen.
That’s not meant to be a throwaway comment, either. I have a real soft spot for the country of Liechtenstein in general (lovely to visit if you get a chance) and I do watch them play more often than I’d like to admit. They’ve had some good players in the past, which people like to gloss over for some reason. Their current manager Mario Frick was the best Liechtenstein striker of all time, for example, and goalkeeper Peter Jehle certainly deserves a mention. Polverino, Burgmeier, Buchel, and Stocklasa should not be forgotten about either. The trouble is that most of their greats are now in the past, or in the twilight of their respective careers.
Their current squad, simply put, is really bad. Salanovic looked like he’d be the next best thing for them but he’s really gone off the rails over the past twelve months or so – and he’s still injured anyway. Veteran defender Martin Buchel is also out of the equation; I don’t even know why that is. Now all their hopes are on the sons of the manager, Yanik & Noah Frick, neither of which are yet to convince. Hasler leads from the front really well but there’s simply not enough quality here. Most of them play in the third division of Swiss football, which tells the whole story really. They were beaten at home by Armenia last time out, who generally don’t break teams down that well. I genuinely watched San Marino out-think and outplay Liechtenstein toward the end of 2020 too – in Liechtenstein, despite it ending 0-0. This is not a team that should cause anyone else problems.
Therefore, despite Macedonia’s current situation, I have to believe that they’ll be comfortable today. I’ve been lucky/weird enough to watch most recent meetings between these two teams because the bookies have often underestimated North Macedonia, as they have again today. I won’t deny that this team is ageing without enough talent emerging (quite a few of them have opted to play for other countries, like Sweden, for example) but it remains a golden generation to me, led by the mercurial Goran Pandev, who is still sensational.
They’ve got a really good target man in Nestorovski, not that he’s played well for a while now. Trajkovski has been a ghost for a couple of years now; they really need him back to his best. Elmas, Bardhi, and Alioski being back in the squad is the key, though – they’re the ones to make everything happen. They’re the ones to add composure in the final third (other than Pandev, of course), and they’re all more consistent than Hasani. Having Ademi as an anchor means that those attacking players are free to go and do the damage too. It’s a good setup, really. I don’t like their defence right now, and I am seriously concerned that goalkeeper Dimitrievski’s head appears to have gone since 2020. Again, when it comes to hosting Liechtenstein, this should not really matter though. Against Germany, however, it’s going to be seriously problematic for them.
For now, backing Macedonia to beat the -2.5 Asian Handicap looks worth it to me; there’s a huge gulf between these two teams nowadays, and Macedonia need to bounce back from their heart-breaking loss against Romania mid-week.
Verdict: North Macedonia to beat the -2.5 Asian Handicap at 51/50.
Sunday’s Thoughts
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts. For confidence ratings, you’ll need to go to the members section here.
World Cup Qualifiers – Europe:
Kazakhstan vs France
Georgia vs Spain
Denmark vs Moldova
Albania vs England
Armenia vs Iceland
Kosovo vs Sweden
Bulgaria vs Italy
Switzerland vs Lithuania
Ukraine vs Finland
Austria vs Faroe Islands
Israel vs Scotland
Poland vs Andorra
San Marino vs Hungary
North Macedonia vs Liechtenstein
Romania vs Germany
African Nations Qualifiers:
Namibia vs Guinea
Tunisia vs Equatorial Guinea
Tanzania vs Libya
Sudan vs South Africa
Ghana vs Sao Tome e Principe
International Friendlies:
Greece vs Honduras
Northern Ireland vs USA
European U21 Championship Finals:
Iceland vs Denmark
Croatia vs Switzerland
Russia vs France
Portugal vs England
Australian A-League:
Wellington Phoenix vs Macarthur FC
Adelaide United vs Sydney FC
Estonian Meistriliiga:
Legion vs Nomme Kalju
Finnish Suomen Cup:
RoPS vs HIFK
Portuguese Liga 2:
Academica de Coimbra vs Vilafranquense
Sporting Covilha vs Casa Pia
SL Benfica II vs Cova de Piedade
Enjoy your free betting tips!