North Macedonia v Belgium

• North Macedonia are unbeaten in eight matches, having recorded six wins and two draws

• With Belgium yet to play due to their Nations League relegation playoff against Ukraine, North Macedonia currently top Group J with four points from their opening two games

• Belgium have recorded just one win in their last seven games, otherwise falling to defeat on five occasions, and managing just a single draw

• Romelu Lukaku bagged three goals across Belgium’s two legs v Ukraine, upping his total to 20 goals across his 18 games for Belgium since the 2022 World Cup

With Belgium yet to play, North Macedonia lead the way in Group J, having picked up four points from their opening two games.

The pair are joined in the group by Wales, Kazakhstan, and Liechtenstein, over whom North Macedonia recorded an impressive 3-0 victory.

Unsurprisingly, it’s Friday’s visitors who head into the group as overwhelming favourites, with bookmakers pricing them as short as 1/5 to finish top, a testament to their squad strength, if not their recent form. 

The hosts, on the other hand, are major outsiders at 33/1 to win the group, however, a more realistic ambition might be a top-two finish, which is available at a much shorter 5/2.

⭐ North Macedonia v Belgium Predictions and Best Bets

Backing North Macedonia to score at least one goal represents good value at evens, given their record and setup, which Belgium could struggle with. They’ve found the back of the net in each of their last nine matches, and their counterattacking style tends to pay off against Europe’s top sides. During the Euro qualifiers, this selection came home in matches against England and Italy (twice). Additionally, Belgium have failed to keep a clean sheet in eight of their previous nine attempts.

That said, it would be a surprise if North Macedonia were able to keep Belgium out at the other end, and backing Lukaku to find a way through at 2.0 also looks like a profitable option. He scored three goals across Belgium’s two matches in 2025, a double-legged clash with Ukraine to avoid Nations League relegation. Looking a bit further back, the forward has scored 20 goals in his 18 games for his national side since the 2022 World Cup.

🔴 Momentum Meets Opportunity as North Macedonia aim to Make their Mark

Off the back of a superb run of form, North Macedonia will relish the opportunity to take on one of Europe’s elite while they’re vulnerable. It’s a golden opportunity to make a statement on the big stage and show the rest of the continent they’re not just here to make up the numbers.

Blagoja Milevski’s men have maintained an impressive eight-game unbeaten run, featuring six wins and two draws.

They topped their Nations League group with a remarkable 16 points, achieving promotion to League B in emphatic fashion. 

Across their last seven, North Macedonia have only dropped points to Wales in a gritty 1-1 draw last time out, in which both goals were scored in stoppage time.

It should be noted that even though they were unable to hang on to the win, North Macedonia created more xG than their opponents on that day.

🟡 Belgium Continue to Falter Amid Search for New Identity

Troublingly for the visitors, their form couldn’t be much further removed from that of their opponents.

A mixed start to life for Rudi Garcia has seen Belgium record a win and a loss since his appointment, both against Ukraine, as his men narrowly avoided going down in the Nations League relegation playoffs.

They endured a perilous time away from home, and the 3-1 scoreline in their defeat flattered them if anything. The underlying numbers paint a clearer picture, with Belgium conceding 2.82 xG and creating just 0.58.

Fortunately, they reversed their fortunes with a superb display at home, defeating Ukraine 3-0 to maintain their League A status. They left it pretty late on that occasion, with the first of those goals coming in the 70th minute through De Cuyper, shortly followed by a Lukaku brace.

That win remains a standalone in an otherwise bleak run consisting of five defeats and just a single draw. 

Rudi Garcia is under a lot of pressure to deliver results quickly, as Belgium look to avoid slipping further into mediocrity after years of unfulfilled promise.

📊 North Macedonia v Belgium Head-to-Head Key Stats

It’s been some time since North Macedonia and Belgium last clashed, so it’s not easy to draw meaningful conclusions from their head-to-head form.

That said, the two matches on record unfolded as they vied for qualification for the 2014 World Cup - something only Belgium would go on to achieve.

The Red Devils came out on top on both occasions, winning 1-0 at home and 2-0 on the road.

Hazard scored on both occasions, with De Bruyne the only Belgium player to have featured then who is likely to make an appearance on Friday. Courtois also started the game but has been ruled out of this clash due to a back injury.

Football Predictions at Andy's Bet Club

Andy's Bet Club is packed full of Expert Football Tips, such as our Team to Score Accumulator Tips. We also have an easy-to-use Bet Builder Stats tool to help you conduct your own research. Look out for the latest Gem Bets, and Club World Cup Predictions on ABC this week.

For Friday's slate, we also have a Goals Algorithm Accumulator, Win Treble, and Norway v Italy Tips, as well as Quick Preview coverage for Scotland v Iceland, Andorra v England, and Czech Republic v Montenegro.

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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.