North Macedonia are on the brink of securing a playoff place in Group J of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers as they host Iceland. The Macedonians have had a solid campaign and should get the needed win over the visitors, who are out of contention.
There appears to be a renaissance in North Macedonian football as they are looking to add a World Cup appearances to this year’s appearance at Euro 2020. They have had a decent campaign in Group J of the qualifiers and are the frontrunners to secure the playoff spot.
North Macedonia are second in the group, one point lead ahead of Romania having lost just twice in the qualifiers. They have won four times, including an impressive 2-1 victory away at group winners Germany back in March.
Blagoja Milevski's men have won two of their last three qualifying matches, keeping clean sheets in both victories. They head into Sunday’s final group game off the back of a 5-0 victory over Armenia with Enis Bardhi netting a hat-trick.
It has been a disappointing qualifying campaign for Iceland, who have only managed two wins from nine matches. They have suffered four defeats in that run and are currently second from bottom on the standings.
Despite their poor showing in the qualifiers, Iceland went into their previous fixture on Thursday still with a slim chance of making the playoffs. However, a 0-0 draw against Romania has ruled them out of contention as they are now six points behind North Macedonia with one game left to play.
One of the major problems for manager Arnar Vidarsson during these qualifiers has been a lack of firepower in attack. Iceland often struggle to create chances and have failed to score in three of their last four away matches.
How the bookies view it
North Macedonia are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 3/5 with Unibet. A victory for Iceland is valued at 24/5 with Vbet, who are also offering odds of 10/3 for a draw.
Head to head
North Macedonia have a 2-1 advantage with one draw from four previous matches against Iceland. Both teams played out a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture back in September.
Players to watch
North Macedonia have the impressive Enis Bardhi who netted a hat-trick last time out against Armenia in attack. Aleksandar Trajkovski was also on target in that match and both men can ensure the Macedonians find the net on Sunday at 1/8 with Vbet.
The Macedonians have also maintained a solid defence lately, keeping two clean sheets in their last three qualifying matches. Visar Musliu and Darko Velkovski are likely to continue their partnership in central defence and can lead the team to another clean sheet at evens with Paddy Power.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given Iceland’s goalscoring problems and with North Macedonia often solid at the back, BTTS NO could be on the cards at 77/100 with Vbet. The Macedonians have won to nil in two of their last three matches and could be set for a repeat at 13/10 with Paddy Power.
Having claimed a 5-0 victory over Armenia in their previous fixture, North Macedonia can be backed in the -1 handicap market at 8/5 with Unibet.
This World Cup match between North Macedonia and Iceland will be played on Nov 14, 2021 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best North Macedonia vs Iceland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
