Montenegro and North Macedonia continue their long list of friendlies before the UEFA Nations League with a showdown in Antalya on Monday.
Both nations were able to avoid defeat in their respective games earlier in the March international break and will be looking to build some momentum ahead of fixtures later in the year.
Match preview
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Placed in a group with Serbia and Hungary, Montenegro were always going to be viewed as underdogs to make Euro 2024 and that is how it played out with a third-placed finished being recorded in Group G.
However, positives can naturally be taken from only finishing three points adrift of a team as strong as Serbia, and there should be plenty of optimism for the future.
In total, Montenegro have recorded five wins and two draws from their last 11 international fixtures, although it is worth noting that the goalless draw with Hungary is arguably their most notable result.
This is also a new era for Montenegro with Robert Prosinecki now at the helm, with the former Croatia star beginning his reign with a 2-0 win in Belarus.
That fixture was the first of two to be staged in Turkey, with Antalya also the setting for Monday's encounter with North Macedonia.
Just two years have passed since the Lions famously defeated Italy in a World Cup qualifying playoff before subsequently going down 2-0 to Portugal.
The hope had been that North Macedonia would build from that achievement, yet just six wins have come in the 20 matches since, with the most notable success coming over Armenia in a friendly.
Nevertheless, draws have still been recorded against Italy and England in home Euro 2024 qualifiers, those 1-1 scorelines giving Blagoja Milevski hope for the future.
Last time out, though, Milevski witnessed his side be held to a 1-1 draw at home to Moldova, conceding eight minutes from time to leave the team without a win in three matches.
Team News
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Prosinecki made alterations at regular intervals against Belarus and it is plausible that changes will be made to the Montenegro XI as he bids to assess the capabilities of his squad.
Stefan Savic and Stefan Mugosa were notable names who remained as unused substitutes last time out and could return at centre-back and in attack.
Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic may be recalled for his eighth cap, while midfielder Milos Brnovic is the only uncapped player in the squad and will hope to make his debut.
While fewer alterations are expected to be made to the North Macedonia side, Milevski will likely freshen up his team in a number of positions.
Bojan Dimoski is an alternative at left-back or in midfield, as is Agon Elezi in the engine room, with Aleksandar Trajkovski also potentially coming back into the squad having not featured on Friday.
Montenegro possible starting lineup:
Sarkic; Vukcevic, Savic, Tuci, Vukcevic; Jankovic, Bakic; Marusic, Jovetic, Jovovic; Mugosa
North Macedonia possible starting lineup:
Dimitrievski; Iljazovski, Musliu, Serafimov, Alioski; Elmas, Elezi, Dimoski; Churlinov, Ristovski, Miovski
We say: Montenegro 1-1 North Macedonia
While North Macedonia have been inconsistent of late, their recent draw with England means that they deserve respect ahead of this contest. With that in mind, we are backing a low-scoring draw to play out, one which would be more warmly received by the visitors than the hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Darren Plant
