Scotland arrive in Skopje under mounting pressure on head coach Sebastien Pocognoli, with the new boss facing a perfect storm in the Balkans. The hosts are in uproar over manager Goce Sedloski, who has been accused of benching Rangers striker Bojan Miovski to make room for the son of the North Macedonian FA president.
North Macedonia's wretched run stretches back to September 2025, when they last won against Liechtenstein. Since then, they have gone ten games without a win, including a 7-1 defeat to Wales and 4-0 losses to Denmark and Turkey. They have scored just twice in that stretch and trail 16-2 on aggregate.
Some home fans have launched an online campaign to attend the Todor Proeski wearing dark blue shirts in solidarity with the travelling Scotland supporters.
Pocognoli's early struggles
Pocognoli is still searching for his first win after a goalless draw in Slovenia and a 3-0 defeat to Switzerland on Tuesday. Those results leave him with little room for manoeuvre regarding his credibility and popularity with the Tartan Army.
His job security may not be in serious doubt after just two games, but if he cannot bring supporters with him, the situation could quickly become awkward. Six points from the final two games of this international break, against Macedonia and Slovenia in Glasgow, would dampen the noise and give the new man breathing space.
Group B picture
Scotland sit on seven points from a possible 12 in Group B, with two fixtures left next month. A second-place finish would represent a sound first campaign for the man who replaced Steve Clarke, who was dismissed after Scotland scored just once in three World Cup games against Haiti, Morocco and Brazil.
Pocognoli's side are 25 minutes away from completing the longest run of international games without a Scotland goal.
Gannon-Doak dilemma
The new boss could help himself by finding a way to include Ben Gannon-Doak in his starting XI. The Bournemouth winger has blistering pace and the ability to cause serious damage to a Macedonian defence that recent results suggest is not fit for purpose.
Pocognoli has talked about bedding in his system before introducing the 20-year-old, but may need to rethink after his first two games. Gannon-Doak has been restricted to cameo roles from the bench, replacing Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson at right back. On Tuesday, with Switzerland a man up, he was reduced to defensive duties on the right flank.
He may get forward more against the Macedonians, even as a hybrid full back, but it might make more sense for Pocognoli to deploy him in a more advanced position behind the main striker. One way or another, Scotland need to add threat and purpose to their attack, and Gannon-Doak, though a work in progress, feels like their best bet.
