Macedonia vs. Italy: Time, Live Stream and Preview for World Cup 2018 Qualifying

Italy continued their remarkable unbeaten run in major tournament qualifiers against Spain on Thursday as they salvaged a late 1-1 draw thanks to a Daniele De Rossi penalty.

Per BBC Sport, they have now not lost a World Cup or European qualifying match in over a decade, and they are heavy favourites to keep their record intact when they take on Macedonia on Sunday in Skopje.

Macedonia have lost two from two in Group G of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, most recently falling to a 2-1 defeat against Israel on Thursday.

Read on for a full preview of Sunday's clash at the Philip II Arena, along with scheduling, television and live-streaming details.

Date: Sunday, Oct. 9

Time: 7:45 p.m. BST, 2:45 p.m. ET

TV Info: Live on Sky Sports 5 (UK) and Fox Sports 2 (U.S.)

Live Stream: Sky Go, Fox Sports Go

Preview

Italy got a little lucky against Spain as they were dominated for much of the match at the Juventus Stadium.

Per WhoScored.com, Spain had much more of the possession, and the Azzurri managed only one shot on target:

Crucially, though, they picked up a point and will be hugely boosted as a result ahead of their clash with Macedonia.

It could have been even better for Italy had it not been for Gianluigi Buffon's uncharacteristic error which led to Vitolo's 55th-minute goal.

The legendary goalkeeper missed an attempted clearance to leave an open goal for Vitolo to slot home, but he has more than enough experience to put the error behind him against Macedonia.

Per Italian football writer Adam Digby, Buffon mistakes are a rarity:

And his goal is unlikely to be under siege on Sunday against a Macedonia outfit who lost at home to an Israel side that Italy beat 3-1 away last month.

Macedonia's last win in a qualifier came against Luxembourg in late 2014. Since then they have beaten only Montenegro and Azerbaijan in friendlies.

In UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, the only other point Macedonia collected as they finished bottom of Group G—besides beating Luxembourg—came thanks to a 0-0 draw with Belarus.

However, during the same campaign, they did limit Spain to just a 1-0 win when they hosted them in Skopje, proof that they have the capabilities to frustrate even the best sides.

Despite being at home, Macedonia are unlikely to be very adventurous going forward, and it will be up to Italy to break down a packed defence.

As Italy proved at Euro 2016 in the summer, they have the ability to beat some of the best sides in the world and so should make easy work of Macedonia.

However, it will be a very different type of challenge to the Spain game, and the likes of Eder and De Rossi will have to take their chances when they are offered up.

An early goal for Italy would be ideal, as Macedonia would then have to venture out of their half to find an equaliser, and Giampiero Ventura's side should then be able to take advantage and claim a comfortable victory.