One of the most notorious banana skins in Irish international football, Macedonia have three stars that could harm our boys in green.
Though the Macedonians were on the receiving end of a 2-1 Irish victory in March, a repeat performance has become more unlikely by the day over the last few weeks, owing to crucial Irish absentees, a lack of alternatives and a Macedonian squad that is relatively at full-strength.
Even worse, the side has deliberately brought in new forward options as they seek to rescue a disappointing Euro 2012 campaign. If Ireland are to stumble and fall in Skopje this weekend, don’t say you weren’t warned by JOE.
Goran Pandev
Champions League winner Pandev had a mixed season at Inter this year, though he began to find his feet under Rafa Benitez-replacement Leonardo’s attacking tactics in the second half of the season.
The 27-year-old is Macedonia’s all-time top goalscorer, with a fine return of 23 goals from 57 appearances.
A key man for club and country, Pandev’s last appearance was helping Inter to a Coppa Italia final victory over Palermo just last weekend. Emboldened by the sight of another trophy medal, the forward has said in recent interviews that “this match is the last chance for us”. For any hope of a crucial Irish victory, Pandev will need to be contained throughout.
Goran Popov
Pandev’s namesake is Dynamo Kiev’s left-back and in case you’re wondering, yes, he was the one knocked on his arse by a customarily bonkers Mario Balotelli in the Europa League.
Lucky for us, Popov was part of a Kiev side that fell 2-0 to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Ukranian Cup Final last week, so perhaps we’ve caught him at a vulnerable time in his life. If there’s something the Irish attackers can learn from experience, it’s that Popov does not enjoy getting kicked in the chest during a football match.
Although exploiting this weakness could lead to multiple dismissals for Trap’s men, it may be worth a shot in case of an emergency.
Nikol?e Noveski
It’s hard to fully explain how impressive FSV Mainz’s Bundesliga season was this year but all you need to know is that young manager Thomas Tuchel somehow brought the little-fancied side to an all-time record-equalling seven wins in their first seven games.
Mainz eventually finished fifth, earning a Europa League spot, with captain Noveski taking a great deal of credit for their historic performance.
Having played 33 out of Mainz’s 34 domestic league games this season, the 32-year-old defender is a crucial compontent to both his club and country. Hopefully a close to full fitness Robbie Keane can help run Noveski ragged Saturday night.
You can follow every kick with JOE’s live minute-by-minute tonight at joe.ie/football.
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