England vs North Macedonia

England’s flawless Euro 2024 qualifying campaign continues at Old Trafford as they entertain North Macedonia on matchday four.

Everything is going according to plan as England bid to advance to a fourth consecutive European Championship, with an overwhelming 4-0 win at Malta last weekend solidifying their place at the top of qualifying Group C. Having won all three opening qualifying fixtures by an aggregate score of 8-1, the ‘Three Lions’ are seemingly waltzing away with a fourth straight top-place finish in Euro qualifying campaigns. Manager Gareth Southgate has masterminded England’s formidable record in Euro qualifying matches since taking over managerial reins from Sam Allardyce in 2016, overseeing just one defeat in 30 such fixtures (W25, D4). However, Southgate’s men cannot afford to take North Macedonia’s visit to Old Trafford lightly after only managing one win in their last four home outings (D2, L1).

In the meantime, North Macedonia may take this trip in complete disarray after letting a 2-0 halftime lead slip through their fingers in a gut-wrenching 3-2 home defeat to Ukraine last time out. That result nullified their 2-1 home triumph over minnows Malta in a curtain-raising Group C fixture, casting doubt on their bid to qualify for a second successive European Championship. The upcoming game in Manchester will likely further derail their chances of securing a top-two finish, considering the visitors have picked up just one win on their last five international travels (D1, L3). Adding to the Macedonians’ sizeable list of concerns, they failed to get on the scoresheet in each of those three defeats. However, Blagoja Milevski’s lads won’t roll over at Old Trafford. They’ve held England to two draws in their four previous H2Hs, losing the other two by a single-goal margin.