Scotland are on the march again this weekend as they travel to the Balkans to face North Macedonia, and with three points a must, will Scotland try something new?
It’s really a now-or-never situation for Scotland. They have looked competitive in their previous two games; however, a win has been elusive, albeit one game was the manager’s first in charge and in the second, they were down to 10 men inside 11 minutes.
Both of those factors are accounted for, although the Scots are growing restless with three points yet to come to fruition. They may play attractive football and dominate possession, but a lack of goals and no sign of a win is slowly creeping into the back of every Scot’s mind as a concern.
Pocognoli’s side have a great, if not the best, opportunity on Saturday to register their first victory of the Nations League stage. In a time of need, and for strikers to gain confidence, North Macedonia is the side you would call upon.
The Balkan side currently sit 69th in the FIFA rankings, with their last victory coming against Liechtenstein in September 2025, so naturally, they feel like a side with three points ripe for the taking. With that being said, though, Scotland have only defeated them by slim margins, with a goal or two generally coming as the difference.
We have only ever played North Macedonia on four occasions during our World Cup qualifiers for 2010 and 2014, in which neither team subsequently qualified. During that period, we defeated them three times and were defeated once, courtesy of a fifth-minute goal from Naumoski.
Fast forward to 2026, and the North Macedonians are still a difficult team to play against. Their counter-attacking football is threatening, especially when creative midfielder Eljif Elmas carries the ball forward.
The RB Leipzig midfielder is currently on loan in Serie A with Atalanta, where he has featured four times this season. Prior to this, he played with Gilmour and McTominay at Napoli, where he made 44 appearances across the season and had a hand in creating four goals.
The midfielder may not be known for his goals or assists, but in terms of carrying the ball and forcing defenders back, he is ruthless. He is certainly one to watch tomorrow night, and if he can continue to link together his midfield, then they will fashion plenty of attacks.
Scotland must approach this game with a degree of caution so as not to be a goal behind early doors, whilst also creating chances for themselves. For this match, certainly, the head coach should stick with the same team as Tuesday night, albeit with Binks replacing the suspended Hendry.
It was disappointing to have sacrificed Kieron Bowie so early in the Switzerland game, as the pairing of himself and McBurnie appeared promising. They both work tirelessly, have successful hold-up play and are partial to a goal or two.
If the striking partnership works, then we could be looking at a thriller on Saturday night. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if he shook the team up a bit around the 60 minute mark and introduced either McPake or Gannon Doak as well, given the lack of pace within the Scotland squad.
Saturday night not only comes as a mammoth night for Scotland, greatness also beckons for Andy Robertson, who, if he plays, which I’m sure he will, would become the second man to win 100 caps for Scotland and stand him in esteemed company with the great Kenny Dalglish.
Robertson has been a faithful servant for Scotland, pulling them through the tough times and leading the celebrations during the historic moments, so there would be no better way to enter the 100-cap club than with three points.
It’s all to play for in North Macedonia tomorrow night, so get the Tartan scarves looked out and turn on your TV at 7:45 to get right behind the boys in dark blue and watch Scotland claim their first win under Pocognoli.
To watch the match preview Tik Tok video follow the link below: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZN8hCX1w3/
