- 1 North Macedonia vs Switzerland: eight games without a win against the 14th-ranked team in the world
- 2 North Macedonia: four games without scoring, yet the squad is at full strength
- 3 Switzerland: five out, but a side that has beaten Canada and Algeria
- 4 Football Prediction North Macedonia vs Switzerland
- 5 First, a word on our free picks
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the visuals…
North Macedonia vs Switzerland: eight games without a win against the 14th-ranked team in the world 
North Macedonia have not won a game in eight straight outings. They have not even scored in their last four.
Those two numbers tell you plenty about the mood in Skopje. In the other corner is a Switzerland side ranked 14th in the world, while the hosts sit down at 69th.
Kick-off is set for Saturday 26 September at 20:45 Paris time, at the Nacionalna Arena Tose Proeski. The Macedonian venue can hold 32 580 fans.
It is the opening fixture in League B Group 1, with Slovenia and Scotland also in the section. Switzerland drop in as favourites to push straight back up.
A rare one at this level: the two sides have never met before. So there is no head-to-head record to muddy the waters or soften the rankings.
North Macedonia’s recent run makes grim reading. A 7-1 hammering in Wales, two 4-0 defeats against Denmark and Turkey, then back-to-back 0-0 draws with Bosnia and Ireland.
Switzerland come in off a much tougher schedule. A 3-1 loss in Argentina, a 0-0 draw with Colombia, then three wins, including a 4-1 against Bosnia.
The Swiss do, however, have a busy treatment room, with five players ruled out for this September camp.
So the real question on the night is not who wins. It is whether North Macedonia can finally find the net again.
The competition format gives this game extra weight. Just six matchdays, and only two promotion spots in a four-team group.
That means Switzerland cannot afford to mess around in Skopje. Dropping points here would seriously complicate their push back to League A.
The two teams will meet again in the return fixture in Switzerland, all packed into a tight few weeks.
North Macedonia: four games without scoring, yet the squad is at full strength 
Four straight matches without a goal: that is the most worrying stat in the Macedonian camp. It has been hanging around since June.
The last time they found the net was during that 7-1 defeat in Wales. The Macedonian goal there barely registered.
Since then, the count has been stuck. The 0-0 in Bosnia and the 0-0 in Ireland show the defensive shape is still there, but the attack has gone missing.
The two 4-0 losses to Denmark and Turkey tell the other side of the story. When the opposition raises the level, the wall starts to crack.
Eight matches without a win is also a sign of a cycle coming to an end. This is no longer the same side that carried itself to the Euro 2020 finals.
One thing is in their favour, though: nobody is out for this home fixture. The coach has the full squad available.
The two recent clean sheets are the other reason for optimism. Against Bosnia and Ireland, the defensive structure held for 90 minutes.
But here is the catch: to get a point in Skopje, they will need another 0-0, and this time against an attack that is a lot more dangerous than the ones they faced in the summer.
The fact there are no absentees is also unusual in this group. Slovenia, Scotland and Switzerland all have players missing.
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Switzerland: five out, but a side that has beaten Canada and Algeria 
Three wins, one draw and one defeat from the last five games: Switzerland’s record is clearly stronger than their hosts’.
The 4-1 win over Bosnia stands out as the attacking marker of the stretch. Against a side operating at the same level as North Macedonia, the Swiss cut through them.
Victories over Canada, 2-1, and Algeria, 2-0, back up that consistency. In both cases, they scored at least twice.
The only defeat, a 3-1 loss in Argentina, does not carry much weight in this analysis. The opposition was a different class to what they will face on Saturday.
The 0-0 with Colombia offers a useful reminder. When a team shuts the door, the Swiss can be slowed down too.
The injury list is the big issue for this camp. Silvan Widmer, Ruben Vargas, Luca Jaquez and Aurele Amenda are all expected back only in mid-October.
Miro Muheim completes the list, out with a groin problem for one to two weeks. Five absentees, several of them wide players, force a reshuffle.
Still, the key point is the gap in quality. Even shorn of a few names, a team ranked 14th in the world still has a massive edge over a side that has not scored in four games.
Squad depth remains Switzerland’s biggest weapon. Even without four potential starters, they still bring a level this competition does not often see.
Likely North Macedonia lineup: Not released at the time of publication.
Likely Switzerland lineup: Not released at the time of publication.
Football Prediction North Macedonia vs Switzerland
Our prediction: Switzerland to win
North Macedonia’s run leaves little room for debate. Eight games without a win, four without scoring: teams in that sort of shape do not usually beat the 14th-best side in the FIFA rankings.
The Bosnia result is the clearest guide. Switzerland put four past a side that held North Macedonia to a 0-0 draw.
The five Swiss absences are worth noting, but they are mostly out wide and do not seriously dent the squad’s depth. Against an attack that has gone quiet for four matches, the margin still looks huge.
The call is straightforward: Switzerland win in Skopje.
With no previous meeting to lean on, there is nothing in the record books to push back against that view. Nothing in the past suggests the rankings are wrong.
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