Denmark will face Czechia or the Republic of Ireland in a one-off final to reach this summer’s finals if they can defeat North Macedonia at Parken.

Denmark vs North Macedonia Betting Predictions

All odds are courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.

Backing goals at both ends

Brian Riemer will have to manage without several key players on Thursday, including Andreas Christensen, Kasper Schmeichel, Patrick Dorgu, Filip Jorgensen, Rasmus Kristensen, and Joachim Andersen. Andersen is currently serving a one-game ban, while the remainder are sidelined through injury.

As a result of these absences, up to eight players from Riemer’s 25-man squad might make their international debuts against North Macedonia. This includes a completely makeshift pairing at the back, featuring Lazio’s Oliver Provstgaard.

North Macedonia managed to score 13 times in eight World Cup qualifying matches at the group stage. Because the Danes are sure to lack teamwork and international experience in defence, we expect the Balkan side to score at least once, as well as Denmark. Given Denmark’s defensive selection crisis, we were very surprised to be able to back this at an odds-against price, with a 47.62% probability.

North Macedonia to keep things competitive

Given the huge difficulties Riemer faces in selecting an experienced backline, it is hard to confidently back Denmark to win on Thursday. Their outright odds for a victory are much too short when you consider the real risks of an inexperienced defence dealing with such a stiff test.

On the other hand, North Macedonia’s head coach, Goce Sedloski, has very few selection issues to worry about. Ezgjan Alioski is the only senior absentee missing out on the trip to Copenhagen. Because of this, we like the idea of backing the visiting team to avoid losing by more than a one-goal margin.

Since drawing with England at home in November 2023 during their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, North Macedonia have been difficult to beat. Remarkably, they have only lost by a two-goal margin or more in two of their previous 20 competitive fixtures. For Thursday night, backing North Macedonia with a +2 handicap offers great value, at a probability of just 54.65%.

Denmark vs North Macedonia Bet 2: North Macedonia +2 (handicap 3-Way) @ 17/20 with bet365Late action expected in Copenhagen

During North Macedonia’s 2026 World Cup qualifying group, goals were often scored after the interval. In fact, they’ve netted 62% of their goals after half time. Crucially, 60% of the goals they conceded also occurred during the second half of matches.

Similarly, the Danes conceded 86% of their group-stage goals after the interval. On average, Denmark have scored their first goal in the 48th minute of those matches. With so much at stake, we’re surprised to be able to back the second 45 to feature more goals than the first at a probability of 46.51%.

In fact, this is the top value play from our trio of Denmark vs North Macedonia predictions. Denmark’s new-look defence will be keen to ease their way into the game and won’t take any chances early on. The game will surely see more action in the second period, with Denmark keen to avoid extra time and penalties.

Denmark vs North Macedonia Bet 3: 2nd Half (half with most goals) @ 23/20 with bet365Our analysis: Form of both teamsScore prediction – Denmark 2-1 North MacedoniaGoalscorers prediction – Denmark: Hojlund, Froholdt – North Macedonia: Miovski

Denmark are preparing to host North Macedonia at Parken in Copenhagen this Thursday evening for their 2026 World Cup playoff semi-final.

The Danes have moved on from the deep frustration of their 4-2 defeat against Scotland at Hampden Park. That loss to Steve Clarke’s team meant Scotland secured direct qualification for this summer’s tournament, forcing Denmark to navigate the playoff route instead.

Up until November, the qualifying journey had been quite smooth for the Danes. However, a 2-2 draw with Belarus, followed by that damaging defeat to Scotland, all happened within the space of four days. Due to injuries and suspensions affecting their goalkeepers and defenders, Denmark will field a very different lineup from the team that played in Glasgow. It now looks highly likely that two inexperienced players, Hogsberg and Provstgaard, will have to start in the centre of defence.

The North Macedonians will arrive in Copenhagen in high spirits, knowing they are just two games away from qualifying for their first-ever World Cup. During the qualifiers, they finished third in a fairly weak five-team Group J, although they suffered a heavy 7-1 loss against Wales in their last group match.

Despite that heavy defeat, the Balkan side only lost one of their eight qualifying games. They even managed a courageous goalless draw away to Belgium, a team that went on to score 29 goals across their other seven qualifying matches. In fact, North Macedonia boasted a better defensive record than Wales during the campaign, conceding 10 goals compared to 11. However, the Welsh ultimately scored eight more goals than they did.

Probable lineups for Denmark vs North Macedonia

Denmark expected lineup: Hermansen, Maehle, Bah, Hogsberg, Provstgaard, Hjulmand, Hojbjerg, Isaksen, Froholdt, Damsgaard, Hojlund

North Macedonia expected lineup: Dimitrievsk, Ilievski, Velkovski, Askovski, Stojcevski, Zajkov, Alimi, Bardhi, Kostadinov, Miovski, Elmas

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