Scotland’s chances of UEFA Nations League (UNL) promotion could be ended if they fail to beat North Macedonia on matchday five, with the visitors rooted to the foot of the table after a miserable 2026.
Match News and Current Form
Scotland return to action for the first time since giving up a half-time lead to lose 2-1 to Slovenia on matchday four, a result which leaves them three points adrift of the top two in Group B1. Anything other than a win therefore puts the Tartan Army’s chances of an immediate return to League A at risk, and despite their opponents’ struggles, a return of one win in six (D1, L4) since beating Haiti in their World Cup opener underlines Scotland’s problems. Boss Sébastien Pocognoli will be desperate to re-establish Hampden Park as a fortress with the Scots having lost three of their last four matches there (W1), including both in this UNL cycle.
North Macedonia arrive in Glasgow at the last chance saloon, as anything other than a win here will see their debut campaign in League B end in a relegation play-off. The Lynxes have lost all four matches in this UNL cycle without scoring and are winless in 12 games overall (D5, L7), while they’re yet to score in any fixture in 2026 (D2, L6). Their four defeats in this UNL cycle are only one fewer than they suffered in the previous four campaigns combined (W14, D5, L5), and an eight-match winless away run (D3, L5) which has seen their only goal come in a 7-1 thrashing against Wales would point to Goce Sedloski’s wait for a first win in charge (L4) extending here.
Head-to-Head History
North Macedonia’s only victory over Scotland came in the inaugural H2H, with a 2-0 defeat in last month’s reverse fixture leaving them winless in four meetings since (D1, L3).
Hot Stats and Streaks
Four of the five goals Scotland conceded in this UNL cycle came after half-time.
Scotland have registered 5+ shots on target in four of their last five matches.
Ten of North Macedonia’s last 11 wins were accompanied by a clean sheet.
Eight of North Macedonia’s last nine competitive games produced over 8.5 corners.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
John McGinn was on target in the reverse fixture and has scored two of Scotland’s last four competitive goals, while six of his last eight strikes for club or country came after half-time. Darko Churlinov returns to the North Macedonia squad after missing the first four matches of this UNL cycle. He scored in their last win back in September 2025 and has seen three of his four club strikes this term serve as match openers.
Scotland are without Scott McKenna, while North Macedonia omitted Bojan Miovski from their squad.
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Betting Analysis
Two sides in poor form point to under 2.5 goals being the obvious choice here.
Author: Ryan Fisher