- NK Bravo are in good shape, having followed up their 2-1 first leg victory over FK Shkendija 79 with a 2-0 away win over NK Olimpija Ljubljana in Prva liga 2026/2027.
- Bravo have won 4 of their last 4 away games in all competitions, conceding just 3 goals across those 4 trips.
- Shkendija have won 3 of their last 5 matches in all competitions, losing the other 2.
Shkendija seek a foothold back in the tie
FK Shkendija 79 looked to be in complete control of their UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 qualifying round tie with Europa FC when they beat the Gibraltar outfit 5-0 away and 1-0 at home, but they were then beaten 2-1 by NK Bravo last time out, leaving everything to play for at Todor Proeski Arena on Thursday.
Artim Polozani, who took over at Shkendija on 1 July 2026, has tried to get his side to be patient and build up in a 4-2-1-3/4-2-3-1 structure, but they were undone by an alert Bravo outfit last time out, which should give them plenty of material to work on over the week between the two games.
Shkendija are now 3 wins and 2 losses from their last 5 games across all competitions and at 2.15, the hosts are the marginal favourites here. Bravo, who are 3.15 in the match odds and the draw 3.4, are a long way off being the underdogs that Europa FC were, and they showed in the reverse fixture that they can hurt the home side.
Bravo have the bite to win in North Macedonia
Ales Arnol took over as head coach of Bravo on 1 March 2023 and he has led them to become an incredibly solid side that can strike like a viper. His players sit in a compact mid-block, but they can be devastating in transition, and this fixture looks like a classic possession vs transition game.
Fabrice Tamba leads the way in scoring for Shkendija with 2 goals in 3 UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 appearances, but Bravo's Jakobslav Stankovic, who has hit 1 goal in 1 UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 game, is supported by the in-form Admir Bristric, who has 4 goals in Bravo's last 5 matches.
Bravo are on a hot streak, winning 5 of their last 5 and not having drawn in that time. Across all current competitions, they have won 9 and lost just 1 of their last 10, so they look in full groove at the moment.
With their good travelling record and their ability to nick the ball and counter with the ball, we think that Bravo can nick this fixture, and with Shkendija looking to control the pace and Bravo's narrow approach potentially frustrating them, we're going for over 2.5 goals at 1.8 as well.
