North Macedonia vs Portugal Live Stream & Predictions – Red-Yellow Lions to Put Up a Fight at the European Championship
While Portugal is expected to take the upper hand against North Macedonia, their defensive weaknesses may impact their ability to dominate the match. North Macedonia's experience and physical presence could enable them to remain competitive. Betting on a +6.5 handicap for North Macedonia appears to be a strategic move, accounting for Portugal's possible defensive lapses.
- Portugal are favored but faces defensive issues
- We are predicting tight contest in Herning
- Watch North Macedonia vs Portugal live at the European Championship
Match Preview
Portugal continue to show steady progress at major tournaments, but their defensive vulnerabilities were exposed against Romania in the opening round. North Macedonia are unlikely to threaten the outcome, yet they have enough experience and structure to keep this clash competitive. Taking the hosts in a +6.5 handicap looks like the value play.
North Macedonia Relying on Experience
North Macedonia struggled to cope with Denmark’s pace and depth in their European Championship 2026 opener, suffering a 36-24 defeat despite a few solid stretches during the game.
Qualification was far from straightforward. They secured just three wins in six matches to finish second in Group 1, behind Slovenia and ahead of Lithuania and Estonia.
Pre-tournament friendlies were encouraging, though. The Red-Yellow Lions defeated Bahrain 32-28 and Ukraine 31-26, while also earning a respectable 29-29 draw against Switzerland.
Portugal Showing Attacking Power
Paulo Pereira’s side had no issues navigating the qualifiers, topping Group 9 with four wins, one draw and one defeat, finishing ahead of Poland, Romania and Israel.
Portugal impressed in January friendlies, crushing Iran 41-20, edging Spain 34-31 and holding Egypt to a 31-31 draw, highlighting both scoring depth and resilience against elite opposition.
They carried that momentum into the tournament opener, beating Romania 40-34 after a dominant first half. Francisco Costa led the way with nine goals and earned man of the match honors.
Verdict
Portugal deserve favoritism, but their defensive lapses suggest they may struggle to pull away. North Macedonia possess enough experience and physicality to stay within range, making a +6.5 handicap on the underdogs the preferred play.
North Macedonia +6.5
Asian Handicap
@9/10 - 2 Units
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North Macedonia v Portugal
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