Georgia and North Macedonia are battling for the promotion slot in Group C4 of the UEFA Nations League and their faceoff in Georgia on Match Day 5 will have a big say on how that ends. Hosts Georgia go into the game with 10 points at the summit of the group and Macedonia are second with seven points. A 0-0 draw with Bulgaria in their last game meant Georgia had to wait a little longer for promotion but here they can finish it, with a win. Otherwise, they need two points from their remaining two matches, to secure that. Georgia have done well in this group; they are unbeaten in the four games and among them was a 3-0 away win in Macedonia. They are unbeaten in their last nine matches, winning seven of them, and they have four clean sheets in their last five outings. Three times in their last four matches, they’ve scored three or more goals.
North Macedonia have claimed a few big wins in recent years but their run ahead of this game hasn’t been as impressive as Georgia’s. They have two wins in their last five matches, and both have been against a very weak Gibraltar. It is also in those two matches in the last five that they have managed clean sheets, while they have conceded two or more goals in two of the remaining three. Any result other than a win here will not be good enough for Macedonia so they have their work cut out. They are coming from a 4-0 win over Gibraltar but the memory of their 3-0 loss at home to Georgia lingers. Macedonia haven’t really performed well against Georgia in their previous meetings, winning just once in four, though they’ve also lost once. This will be the fourth meeting between the two nations in the Nations League; two of the first three ended in draws then Georgia won the third.
North Macedonia have a huge task here; this game seems tilted not in their favor, and playing away to an in-form Georgia side will really test them. It is a must – win game for Macedonia, and that makes it more complicated. Georgia have been in great form coming into this game and we will back them to win.