England vs North Macedonia predictions: Three Lions can ease to perfect four
- England have won all three qualifiers so far
- North Macedonia have beaten Malta at home and lost to Ukraine
- Recommended bet: England to win 3-0
After routinely dismissing Malta on Friday, England should follow suit when taking on North Macedonia in their next Euro 2024 qualifier on Monday.
Gareth Southgate's side barely had to break sweat to see off the limited Maltese and they now should comfortably make it four wins from four in Group C when North Macedonia visit Old Trafford.
With Italy not in action in the Euro qualifiers this month due to reaching the last four of the Nations League, England have taken charge of the section, and with 12 points from 12 very likely to be on the board, it looks like a trouble-free route to Germany next summer is on the cards for the beaten Euro 2020 finalists.
The visitors opened their campaign with a 2-1 home win over Malta before going down 3-2 to Ukraine on Friday, also at home, when they threw away a 2-0 lead.
Team news
Bukayo Saka is a major doubt for the hosts with the ankle injury that forced him off on Friday, with Phil Foden or Jack Grealish poised to replace him in the starting line-up.
Manchester City duo Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips could both also start, while Callum Wilson is pushing for a place up front after coming off the bench to score against Malta.
Boss Southgate may decide to give Trent Alexander-Arnold another chance to impress in an unfamiliar 'No.10' role.
Meanwhile, North Macedonia will be forced into a change at centre-back following Visar Musliu's sending off against Ukraine on Friday, with Darko Velkovski expected to replace his suspended team-mate.
Aleksandar Trajkovski and Ilija Nestorovski are expected to start up front for the visitors, although Milan Ristovski is another option.
The stats
There could be plenty of goals at Old Trafford as seven of England's last nine competitive games have had three or more.
England have not conceded in five of their last seven competitive matches so another clean sheet for Southgate's side also looks a distinct possibility.
North Macedonia, who used to be known as FYR Macedonia, have lost four of their last six competitive matches and sit second-bottom in the section after a win and a defeat from their two games so far.
The two nations have met four times previously and England have never lost, with two wins for the Three Lions and two draws on the record.
One of those draws was the last meeting in October 2006 between them, when a Euro 2008 qualifier ended 0-0 — a game also played at Old Trafford.
Prediction
Anything other than another routine win for the Three Lions in their fourth game in the group would be a surprise.
The manner in which they swatted aside Malta with several first team regulars rested underlined England's vast strength in depth and, while more changes are expected in Manchester, it could be a very similar outcome.
Backing a home win to zero looks wise but for more value a 3-0 success in the correct score market could be the way to go.
