North Macedonia vs Belgium (21:45)
Gibraltar vs Croatia (21:45)
06.06.2025
| ⏰ 21:45 | ⚽ Norway vs Italy | 🎲 BTTS | 🏆 1.64 |
| ⏰ 21:45 | ⚽ North Macedonia vs Belgium | 🎲 BTTS | 🏆 2.17 |
| ⏰ 21:45 | ⚽ Gibraltar vs Croatia | 🎲 Under 5.5 | 🏆 1.30 |
World Cup qualification games continue in Europe on Friday with some nations tasting the qualifiers for the first time due to other international engagements. Norway and Italy will battle in a clash for supremacy in Ullevaal Stadion. Gibraltar will lock horns with Croatia at the Estádio Algarve, while Belgium will travel to the Toše Proeski Arena to face North Macedonia. Below are analyses of these matches and accumulated odds.
Norway vs Italy
The pressure is high for Italy to win this game after their recent poor outings in qualifiers. They are in danger of missing out on a third straight World Cup appearance. However, with a win here, they will kickstart their World Cup 2026 journey on a high. However, Norway are not a small team in this group, having won both games so far in the group to lead the standings. With one team getting an automatic ticket into the World Cup finals, anything can happen in this game.
Italy are unbeaten in their last four games, with three wins and a draw, while the hosts have won all their previous four games. Going into their meetings, Italy are unbeaten in their previous five games against Norway. It is good to note that clashes between these two sides have always been productive, and I expect this game to follow the same direction as well. With exceptional players on both sides like Martin Ødegaard, Erling Haaland, and Alexander Sørloth for the hosts and Nicolò Barella, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Daniel Maldini, and Moise Kean for the visitors, I think backing both sides to find the back of the net is the best option.
Possible Starting Lineup
Norway — Ørjan Nyland, David Møller Wolfe, Torbjørn Heggem, Kristoffer Ajer, Julian Ryerson, Andreas Schjelderup, Patrick Berg, Sander Berge, Martin Ødegaard, Erling Haaland, Alexander Sørloth.
Italy — Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alessandro Bastoni, Pietro Comuzzo, Federico Gatti, Destiny Udogie, Sandro Tonali, Samuele Ricci, Nicolò Barella, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Daniel Maldini, Moise Kean.
- Bet: BTTS
North Macedonia vs Belgium
It is going to be a clash of the titans in this clash, despite the hosts being seen as the underdogs. The hosts are fighting for a chance to be in the World Cup finals for the first time in the history of the nation, having appeared in a major tournament at the Euro 2020. Moreover, their recent form suggests a chance in the international competition, having remained unbeaten in their two games in Group J. Interestingly, they sit at the top of the group with four solid points. They remain unbeaten in their last eight games, including six wins. On the other hand, Belgium are capable of handling North Macedonia, their first loss of this qualifying round, as the Red Devils have won their last three games against the Lions. The hosts might have enjoyed an incredible unbeaten run, but translating that into a success against Belgium can be a hard nut to crack. Nevertheless, backing both sides to score will be the best option in this game, because the hosts are good in the attack, while the visitors have failed to keep a clean sheet in eight of their last nine games.
Possible Starting Lineup
North Macedonia — Stole Dimitrievski, Visar Musliu, Jani Atanasov, Gjoko Zajkov, Ezgjan Alioski, Tihomir Kostadinov, Isnik Alimi, Bojan Ilievski, Enis Bardhi, Eljif Elmas, Bojan Miovski.
Belgium — Matz Sels, Maxim De Cuyper, Zeno Debast, Wout Faes, Thomas Meunier, Hans Vanaken, Nicolas Raskin, Kevin De Bruyne, Jérémy Doku, Romelu Lukaku, Leandro Trossard.
- Bet: BTTS
Gibraltar vs Croatia
It appears to be an easy win for Croatia in this clash. The hosts are at the bottom of Group L after the first two rounds, having lost to Czechia and Montenegro, and it is clear that they are not yet ready for the World Cup. During this run, they managed to score one goal while conceding seven. Moreover, Gibraltar and Croatia have faced each other in their history, and the Blazers won 4-0. However, while I expect the visitors to win hands down, I think there will be minimal goals here, contrary to what lots of people might expect. The hosts lost 14-0 to France and 6-0 to the Netherlands in 2023, but their recent forms show they are better. They have not conceded more than two goals in ten of their last twelve games. So, I expect fewer than six goals in this game.
Possible Starting Lineup
Gibraltar — Bradley Banda, Kian Ronan, Louie Annesley, Paddy McClafferty, Ethan Britto, James Scanlon, Dan Bent, Tjay De Barr, Liam Jessop, Ayoub El Hmidi, Carlos Richards.
Croatia — Dominik Livakovic, Josip Stanisic, Duje Caleta-Car, Josip Sutalo, Josko Gvardiol, Luka Modric, Petar Sucic, Mario Pasalic, Andrej Kramaric, Ante Budimir, Ivan Perisic.
- Bet: Under 5.5
Other predictions