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Shkendija host Noah at the National Arena Toše Proeski in Skopje, North Macedonia on Thursday. The sides meet for the second leg of their clash in the UEFA Europa Conference League first qualifying round.
The Ballists are on the verge of seeing their European dreams crushed again as the Macedonian side trail 2-0 in the tie after their first-leg defeat last week.
Goncalo Gregorio struck in the 81st minute for their Armenian rivals, before Aleksandar Miljkovic doubled their advantage in the tie in the final minute of normal time.
Ardian Nuhiu's side must win by a three-goal margin to progress into the next round, which seems like a mighty task on paper. But their home record in the European qualifiers should give them hope, as Shkendija are unbeaten in four qualifying games.
On the other hand, Noah maintained a perfect record in Armenia by winning their second European qualifier. Back in 2021, the Armavir outfit had beaten KuPS 1-0 in the first qualifying round of the Europa Conference League.
While a heavy 5-0 loss away from home ended their qualifying hopes, Rui Mota's side will be hoping to avoid similar fortunes this time around, and progress beyond the first round for the first time in their history.
Shkendija vs Noah Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- The sides meet for only the second time in history.
- Shkendija have faced an Armenian side on three occasions in their history, winning, drawing and losing once each. That solitary defeat came in their current tie last week (2-0).
- Their rivals from Armenia have lost both their away games in European qualifiers: 4-1 vs Kairat in 2020 and 5-0 vs KuPS in 2021.
- Shkendija are unbeaten in their last four European qualifiers, winning three and drawing one.
Shkendija vs Noah Prediction
Shkendija are facing an uphill battle in this match and will be relying on their home support to motivate them. However, their rivals are likely to sit deep and block all passing lanes, knowing that they have a healthy advantage in the tie.
The game might still finish with the North Macedonian outfit winning, but they will bow out of the qualifiers on aggregate.
Prediction: Shkendija 2-1 Noah
Shkendija vs Noah Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Shkendija to win
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes
