Preview:North Macedonia vs Kazakhstan - prediction, team news, lineups

North Macedonia have the opportunity to take command of their World Cup 2026 destiny if they beat Kazakhstan on Monday at Tose Proeski Arena.

The home nation lead Group J with 12 points after playing six of their eight games but just one and two points separate them from second-placed Belgium and third-placed Wales - both of whom have a game in hand - respectively, while the fourth-placed visitors have six points from six.

Match preview

North Macedonia earned a valuable point when they held Belgium to a goalless stalemate on Friday, though they can count themselves fortunate given they faced nearly three xG and 25 shots, while also failing to produce any of their three attempts from inside the box.

First place will guarantee progression to the World Cup finals, while second would be enough for a playoff spot, and Risovi must take advantage of the fact that at least one of Wales or Belgium will drop points when they face each other on Monday.

Manager Blagoja Milevski deserves credit for the fact his side have conceded just two goals in their qualifying campaign, but the only time his team scored more than once in their past six in all competitions was a 5-0 win against 204th-ranked Liechtenstein on September 7.

North Macedonia are unbeaten in 12 competitive fixtures, though while they triumphed in eight of those clashes, they were forced to settle for draws in three of their last five.

Milevski has instilled a resilience in his team at home considering the nation are undefeated in 10 at Tose Proeski Arena, winning on five occasions.

Kazakhstan beat Liechtenstein 4-0 on Friday - their second group win against the nation - and ended a streak of three consecutive losses.

The Hawks' chances of qualifying for the World Cup are slim considering they need to claim six points from their final two fixtures, while also hoping that two of Wales, Belgium and North Macedonia do not accumulate 13 points or more.

Interim coach Talgat Baysufinov has only been in charge for one match, and he inherited a team that had failed to net in 10 of the 14 games prior to their victory against Liechtenstein.

Kazakhstan's only meeting with North Macedonia in a competitive outing came in the reverse fixture in June, when they were beaten 4-1

The visitors have been defeated in 11 of their past 12 away matches in all competitions, while they have conceded at least three goals in seven of their eight most recent games on the road.

North Macedonia World Cup Qualifying - Europe form:

North Macedonia form (all competitions):

Kazakhstan World Cup Qualifying - Europe form:

Kazakhstan form (all competitions):

Team News

North Macedonia used a back three when they faced Belgium, but considering they will be playing weaker opposition on Monday, they can be expected to revert to a four-man defence.

Centre-backs Gjoko Zajkov and Andrej Stojchevski may be selected together, with midfielders Enis Bardhi and Isnik Alimi likely to shield the duo.

In the forward line, Bojan Miovski has often featured, but he has only scored two goals in 10 games for club and country this season, and he will be keen to get back on the scoresheet.

Kazakhstan should not overcommit too early in the search of a winner, so perhaps they will line up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation, with the likes of Dastan Satpaev and Ramazan Orazov set to appear in attack.

The visitors could deploy a double pivot of Islambek Kuat and Georgi Zhukov ahead of centre-backs Alibek Kasym and Nuraly Alip.

North Macedonia possible starting lineup:

Dimitrievski; Ilievski, Zajkov, Stojchevski, Alioski; Churlinov, Bardhi, Alimi, Elmas; Miovski, Trajkovski

Kazakhstan possible starting lineup:

Seysen; Kairov, Kasym, Alip, Vorogovskiy; Zhukov, Kuat; Samorodov, Orazov, Kenzhebek; Satpaev

We say: North Macedonia 2-0 Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan's preparation for Monday's clash has been far from ideal, as while they won last time out, they are still coming to terms with new boss Baysufinov's tactical demands.

North Macedonia's defensive performances have been strong, and considering the visitors have rarely threatened in the final third, a home victory should be expected.

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