North Macedonia vs Kazakhstan Prediction 13 October 2025
🔊 North Macedonia must navigate the remaining qualifying path flawlessly to secure a direct spot in the World Cup. Belgium, sitting in second place, trails by just one point and has a game in hand. Meanwhile, Wales is breathing down both teams' necks from third place, just two points off the leader. The schedule favors the "Red Lions," as they host Kazakhstan at the Toshe Proeski National Arena to wrap up the October qualification cycle. The "Hawks" may not be setting the world alight, but after a coaching change, they thrashed Liechtenstein. In their previous encounter with the Macedonians under their former coach, despite losing, they put up a commendable performance. How will the match on October 13 in Skopje unfold? Our editorial team offers an insightful prediction.
Head-to-Head
📊 The last encounter between these teams took place in June this year. In their first head-to-head match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, North Macedonia secured a victory in Astana with a 1-0 scoreline. However, the outcome could have been different. The hosts controlled the game, holding a slight edge in possession (53% to 47%) and posing a marginally greater threat in attack (0.77 xG compared to 0.34 xG).
Head-to-head statistics North Macedonia - Kazakhstan
North Macedonia Team Overview
The Macedonians have been in outstanding form for over a year. Since September 2024, they have remained unbeaten in all official matches, excelling in the Nations League's Division C with just one draw. Their unbeaten streak has extended into the World Cup qualifiers, now totaling 12 matches. Blagoja Milevski's pragmatic approach, despite a lackluster attack (scoring more than once only against Liechtenstein), has led the "Red Lions" to a provisional top spot in Group J. Their most significant achievements have been against direct rivals for the lead. North Macedonia have not lost to any of them: drawing with Wales (1-1) and twice with Belgium (1-1; 0-0), with a combined xG of 2.45 across these three matches.
The Macedonian squad may not have many European stars, but they do feature players from the top five European leagues. Midfielder Eljif Elmas (Napoli) and goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski (Valencia) are among them, although neither is a guaranteed starter at their respective clubs. Nonetheless, both have appeared in the starting lineup for each of North Macedonia's six World Cup qualifying matches. The team's top scorers in qualification are forwards Aleksandar Trajkovski and Bojan Miovski, who have netted four goals between them.
Match Results: North Macedonia
Kazakhstan Team Overview
On October 10, head coach Talgat Baysufinov made his debut at the helm of the Kazakhstan national team. There couldn't have been a more fitting opponent than Liechtenstein. The conditions for a victorious start were ideal. The match took place in Astana, and the Group J underdogs were routed 4-0. It's worth highlighting the impressive finishing by the "Hawks." They scored four goals with an expected goals (xG) tally of just 1.91. This clinical edge will be crucial when they travel to Skopje. In their home clash against North Macedonia, the hosts attacked more frequently and dangerously (13 shots to 9 with an xG of 0.77 compared to 0.34), but they fell short due to poor conversion. The final score of that encounter was 0-1.
In the match against Liechtenstein, one of the few internationals and stars of the team, Bakhtiyar Zaynutdinov, found the net. However, the standout player was Galymzhan Kenzhebek, who notched a brace and an assist. The 22-year-old forward is a product of Almaty's Kairat academy but didn't settle at his home club. Two years ago, he ventured abroad, spending a season in both the Cypriot Second Division and the Slovak Super Liga. His form improved significantly after joining Kazakhstan's Yelimay this summer. In nine matches in the local league, the forward has tallied 5 goals and 2 assists.
Match Results: Kazakhstan
Latest news
North Macedonia
🎙 The head coach of North Macedonia's national team shared his thoughts on the draw with Belgium in their latest World Cup 2026 qualifier. "I'm very pleased. Our goal is to be competitive and show that we can fight at this level. Today, we achieved that, primarily through our defensive play. We could have done more on the counterattacks, but overall, I'm extremely satisfied," said Blagoja Milevski.
✅ North Macedonia arrived for the October qualification cycle in their best form. In the match against Belgium, the "Red Lions" also managed to avoid any losses or suspensions.
Kazakhstan
🎙 The head coach of the Kazakhstan national team discussed the team's preparation for the October World Cup qualifying cycle and shared his thoughts on his first victory at the helm. "We trained for eight days. Of course, scoring four goals means we accomplished a lot of what we planned. The players liked what we offered them, and the fans can see that. The players understood everything, controlled the ball, and executed well in combinations, but there's still plenty of work ahead," said Talgat Baysufinov.
❌ Due to injuries, Dastan Satpayev and Serikzhan Muzhikov did not join the national team. Additionally, two goalkeepers from Kairat, Alexander Zarutsky and Temirlan Anarbekov, are missing this qualifying cycle. However, among them, only Satpayev was a guaranteed starter for the national team.
🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards
The main referee for the match is Juan Martinez Munuera from Spain. Over his last 20 La Liga matches, he averages 5.1 yellow cards per game. The head coach of North Macedonia advocates for a tough, defensive style of play. In their six World Cup qualifying matches, his team averaged 2.5 yellow cards per game, with more than 1.5 cards in five out of six instances. The only exception was their match against Liechtenstein. Our prediction: North Macedonia will receive over 1.5 yellow cards.
⚽️ Goal Prediction
Matches involving Kazakhstan tend to be more thrilling than those of the Macedonians, averaging three goals compared to two over their last 10 games. This is closely tied to the organized defense of the "Red Lions." Their attack may not shine brightly but usually finds the net after the break (averaging 1.4 goals in the first half compared to 0.6 in the second). The "Hawks" have conceded in the second half in seven of their last eight matches. Given these circumstances, we suggest betting that North Macedonia will score in the second half.
🚩 Corner Prediction
Kazakhstan's average number of corners in the current qualification stands at 5.3 over six matches. Only against Belgium did the "Hawks" earn fewer than four corners. The playing style of the Macedonians doesn't promise complete territorial dominance over their opponents, so the visitors are likely to have opportunities in their opponent's half. Editor's choice: Kazakhstan will have over 2.5 corners.
Editorial Prediction
The Macedonians have only managed to score more than one goal against Liechtenstein in their qualifiers, securing points through pragmatic play with a total expected goals of just 2.79 over four matches against Kazakhstan, Wales, and Belgium (twice). For Kazakhstan's new head coach, the trip to Skopje represents a significant test against a higher-caliber opponent. Excluding their encounters with Liechtenstein, the "Hawks" have netted just once in qualifiers-against Wales. Additionally, they will be without their attacking star, Dastan Satpayev, making it challenging to break through the organized defense of the "Red Lions." We anticipate a narrow victory for the hosts, likely a 1-0 scoreline. Given these factors, a bet on total goals under 2.5 seems prudent.
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Betting Tips: North Macedonia - Kazakhstan
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