Shkupi vs Brera Prediction: A very tough match is expected in Chair

Saturday will bring us new excitements in the Macedonian Football League, and the match between Shkupi and Brera certainly stands out among other matches in the 9th round. Both teams are in the middle of the table, with the ambition to move and stay among the best in the league, and of course, Shkupi to fight for the trophy.

Form: LDWWD

Shkupi were defeated in the last round by their city rival Rabotnicki 2:1, and currently are in the 7th place in the league with only 9 points. They are 2 points behind Brera and 8 points behind the leader Shkendija. Only one win in the last 5 matches in the league is not enough for this team’s ambitions, so changes were made in the team before this match. After parting ways with Matija Mirkov, Shkupi appointed a new coach, the Turkish strategist Alparslan Erdem. During his football career, Erdem has played for several big teams such as Werder Bremen, Galatasaray, Genclerbirligi, Istanbul Basaksehir, and Fatih Karagumruk. In his coaching career, he was an assistant to Francesco Farioli at Fatih Karagumruk for the 2021–2022 season and Andrea Pirlo during the 2022–2023 season at Fatih Karagumruk. Then he took over as head coach in 2023. Alparslan Erdem signed a two-year contract with the Macedonian team, showing the long-term commitment of the board to build a stable and successful team.

Form: WDDWW

Brera Strumica won a confident and convincing victory against Pelister in the match of the eighth round in the First Macedonian League with a final score of 4-0 (1-0). The team from Bitola had big problems after they were left with one player less in the early stages of the match, and the home football players made the most of the advantage and fought for an important triumph, the third in total this season. Brera are now in 6th place, they have 11 points, 3 wins, 2 draws, and 3 defeats. However, they are the worst away team in the league, with 2 defeats a draw, and a goal difference of 1:7.

This will be a very tough match, especially for the home team who are under huge pressure. They were among the candidates for winning the trophy, and they are struggling to play two good matches in a row. On the other hand, Brera are doing well so far, but they have to improve their away form if they want to join the best teams at the top. In their last five encounters, Shkupi won twice and three matches ended in a draw. Only one of these matches ended with over 2.5 goals, and I expect such tight game again, but I believe that Shkupi can win all 3 points against Brera.