Armenia take on the visitors Turkey in the round 1 match of UEFA Euro 2024 qualification. The match will be played on Saturday, March 25th at Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium (Yerevan).
Armenia are starting a new cycle with a new coach. The team is now led by former Ukraine coach Alexander Petrakov, who has invited a very interesting squad, including Nair Tiknizyan, who played for Russia's youth team, experienced Bayramyan from Rostov, Spertsyan from Krasnodar, and two potentially foreign stars from Bayern (Grant Leon-Ranos) and Boca Juniors (Norberto Briasco Balekyan), along with the very experienced Sargis Adamyan from Cologne. What unites this team is their very weak level of cohesion so far, and the new coach's preference for attacking football, which could become a problem for the hosts.
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Turkey, under Stefan Kuntz, have acquired a very strong team with a powerful and experienced attack. While they failed to qualify for the World Cup due to a loss to Portugal (1-3), Kuntz's team had many missed opportunities. However, they confidently won their group in League C of the UEFA Nations League this summer and earned their place in the Euro qualifiers with a high probability. In their last two friendlies in November, the Turks beat strong teams like the Czech Republic and Scotland 2-1 at home, and now they face Armenia without Mkhitaryan, albeit in Yerevan.
Of course, the Armenia vs. Turkey matchup can be called a unique enemy derby due to the closeness of the visitors to Azerbaijan in spirit, mentality, and historical relations. Fortunately, there is a relatively mutual respect on the field. It is clear that for the hosts, this is an opportunity to showcase themselves against a formidable opponent, but with the change in coach and the end of Mkhitaryan's national team career, miracles cannot be expected from the hosts. Turkey has a much more skillful, cohesive, and experienced team that has earned more glory on European fields and qualifiers. It is likely that with their superior class, the guests will win by at least one goal here (Turkey won both of their previous matches against Armenia 2-0).
Prediction for the match: Turkey to win with -1.0 handicap.
