Another Scoreless Outing for North Macedonia? Turkey vs North Macedonia Prediction | June 1, 2026
One of the international friendlies on June 1 features Turkey and North Macedonia. For the Turkish national team, this match serves as another important step in preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, while North Macedonia continue to rebuild after missing out on qualification.
Match Preview
Turkey successfully secured their place at the World Cup after finishing second in their qualifying group behind Spain. They then advanced through the playoffs thanks to two disciplined defensive performances, defeating Romania 1-0 and Kosovo 1-0.
The Turks will face Australia, Paraguay, and the United States in the World Cup group stage. Before the tournament begins, they also have another friendly scheduled against Venezuela.
Recent form has been encouraging for Turkey. The team is unbeaten in six consecutive matches across all competitions and has shown a strong ability to start games well, opening the scoring in five of their last six matches. Defensive stability has also become one of their key strengths, particularly during the playoff stage where they conceded no goals.
North Macedonia, meanwhile, fell short of reaching the World Cup. After finishing third in their qualifying group, they were given another opportunity through the playoff pathway but suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat against Denmark in the decisive match.
Since then, North Macedonia have played friendlies against Ireland and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with both matches ending in scoreless draws. While those results demonstrated some defensive organization, they also highlighted the team's ongoing attacking struggles.
The visitors now enter this game without a victory in seven consecutive matches across all competitions. Even more concerning is their lack of goals, having failed to score in each of their last three games. Five of North Macedonia's last seven matches have also finished with under 2.5 goals, underlining the team's tendency to play low-scoring contests.
Head-to-Head
Turkey have historically enjoyed success in this matchup. The teams have met three times, with Turkey winning two competitive meetings, while a friendly played in 2017 ended in a goalless draw.
Key Trends
- Turkey are unbeaten in their last 6 matches
- Turkey opened the scoring in 5 of their last 6 games
- North Macedonia are winless in 7 consecutive matches
- North Macedonia failed to score in their last 3 matches
- 5 of North Macedonia's last 7 games finished under 2.5 goals
- Turkey are unbeaten in the previous 3 meetings between the teams
Prediction
The two sides enter this match in very different situations. Turkey are preparing for the World Cup and have built their recent success on defensive discipline and controlled performances. North Macedonia continue to struggle offensively and have found goals difficult to come by in recent months. With Turkey keeping clean sheets in both playoff victories and North Macedonia failing to score in three consecutive matches, the statistical trends point toward another cautious encounter. Considering the friendly nature of the game and both teams' recent scoring patterns, a high-scoring match appears unlikely. Recommended Bet: Under 3.5 Goals
