North Macedonia vs Austria Predictions

Will Austria be able to get their Euro 2020 bid back on track in this week’s clash with North Macedonia? The hosts are up in third in this qualifying group, but can they qualify automatically instead of having to rely on their playoff spot? This is set to be a tough trip for the Austrians, who have work to do if they’re going to get their qualification hopes up and running in Monday night’s visit to Skopje. Will the hosts be able to cause a surprise at their own ground?

North Macedonia do have a fall-back ahead of this Euro 2020 qualifying campaign. If they can’t get in through the usual method, then they will head into the playoffs in March 2020 after their Nations League success. The hosts were able to win five of six games at that tournament in order to book their place in the playoffs, while they secured promotion to the third tier of the competition by winning the group. Now they are hoping to transfer that form into the qualifiers, where they’ve made a solid start.

The same can’t be said for Austria, who are struggling for consistency. They’ve come a long way since the last round of European Championship qualifiers, as they went to France as one of the teams to watch. They were brilliant in their run to the tournament, barely dropping a point as they topped the pile. That form was impressive, but they fell apart at the main tournament before their poor attempt to make the 2018 World Cup, which saw them finish behind Serbia, Republic of Ireland and Wales.

Austria had mixed returns in the Nations League, while they have got just three points from their first three qualifying matches. They already have a tough challenge ahead to make it into the Euros, while the visitors lack consistency. They have just picked up a win, but Austria have failed to win back to back games in their last 11 internationals. The last time they won back to back competitive games was in 2017, so we don’t have a lot of hope for them here.

North Macedonia only lost one of their final six World Cup qualifiers – a 2-1 home defeat to Spain. They have lost only one of their last eight home games, which was a 1-0 defeat to Poland. Meanwhile, Austria have lost three of their last four away trips, with their one win at Northern Ireland coming despite an awful performance. Their away form in World Cup qualifying was poor, while the visitors are struggling for consistency. That has us backing the hosts on the Double Chance market on Monday.