Young Macedonians revealed the match schedule for their group and also the coach Goran Stanikj gave his opinion about the opponents.

photo by FFM

Yesterday in Nyon, the Macedonian U21 national team was drawn against Italy, Poland, Sweden, Montenegro and Armenia in the qualifiers for the 2027 European Championship, which will be held in Albania and Serbia.

In the first round of Group E, Macedonia will face Poland on the away field. The first home match is against the top favorite in the group, the Italian national team and according today’s FFM statement this match will be played in Bitola.

You can find the complete schedule for the Group E here.

The head coach Goran Stanikj gave his comments about the upcoming challenges:

– We drew a tough group, in addition to the favorite Italy, we got the toughest opponents Poland and Sweden from the second and third pots. Our group also includes Montenegro and Armenia, teams that are not at all naive.

– We have to think positively and be optimistic. I previously emphasized that I have maximum faith in this generation. We can and have the quality to compete with any team.

– We need to use the next period until the start of the qualifiers in September in the best possible way to prepare as best as we can and confidently and bravely welcome the start of the upcoming qualifiers.

– It is important for the players to believe in their qualities, to be maximally focused on the upcoming challenges.

– We are going step by step, match by match, I believe that we will not disappoint our fans and football lovers in Macedonia.