Alioski out as North Macedonia prepare for Scotland

North Macedonia will head into the Nations League meeting with Scotland in Skopje on October 3, 2026 without left-back Ezgjan Alioski, who remains sidelined by injury. The match is scheduled to kick off at 20:46 at the national stadium.

The squad list submitted at the morning meeting with the match delegate does not include Alioski; the experienced left back missed the previous two Nations League fixtures after undergoing examinations in Switzerland and will again be unavailable.

Defender Gjoko Zajkov and winger Din Alomerovic are also not in contention following difficult recent appearances, leaving coach Goce Sedloski to contemplate alternatives. The projected plan places Eljif Elmas and Dimitar Mitrovski as the two playmakers behind top striker Filip Miovski, who is expected to lead the line and try to end North Macedonia's goal drought that stretches back to November when he scored the last national team goal in the 7:1 match in Wales.

Likely XI and bench roles

Pedro Herrera is tipped to start on the left, with Bojan Ilievski returning at right back. The centre-back pairing with Ermal Musliu and Leonel Melici would be a first-time starting partnership in front of goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski. Gaštarov is expected to be used from the bench as a younger option with limited minutes.

Captain Bardhi is set to marshal the midfield with Jani Atanasov and Agon Elezi providing support. Miovski is described as the team’s main attacking outlet and the player charged with breaking a run without victory that has lasted more than a year.

Coach Sedloski’s official starting lineup for the Scotland match is due to be announced at around 19:30. The report was published on October 3, 2026 at 17:34.

Photo: press material from the event