Pyunik Yerevan take on the visitors Narva in the first leg of UEFA Conference League qualification round of 1/8-finals. The match will be played on Thursday, July 13th at Kotayk Stadium (Abovyan)
Pyunik Football Club was founded in 1992, during the time of independence. They immediately won their first championship title and, after 30 years, secured their 15th title a year ago. However, it was their first gold in 7 years, and they couldn't retain the trophy as they finished behind Urartu by a one-point margin in the 2022/2023 season. As a result, instead of starting in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, the Caucasus team went directly to the Conference League. There, the team from Yerevan performed well last autumn. The highlight was their surprising victories over CFR Cluj and Dudelange in the qualification for the continent's main tournament. Although they lost to Red Star Belgrade and Sheriff Tiraspol (the Moldovan team in the UEFA Europa League), Pyunik ended up in the Conference League group stage, where they secured wins against Slovan and Žalgiris, finishing in 3rd place.
Narva Trans have an advantage in terms of match practice. The red and blue team is a constant participant in the Estonian league. However, their achievements in the Meistriliiga are modest. They won the runner-up position once, back in 2006, and have secured the bronze medal 6 times, with the last occurrence in 2011. In the recent competition, they finished in 7th place out of 10 participants, and their current results are even worse as they occupy a lower position. Nevertheless, the team has a cup character. In cup competitions, they have performed well with 8 finals and 3 cup victories, including the latest one this spring. Thanks to their cup success, Estonian teams consistently participate in European competitions, but they have faced constant setbacks. Out of 17 European starts, they have only secured 2 victories in total, always being eliminated by their first opponents. Their most recent attempt in 2019 resulted in a 0-2 and 1-4 loss to Budućnost Podgorica.
The Armenian and the Estonian teams will face each other for the first time. It is clear that Pyunik is significantly stronger and should win, and most likely not by a narrow margin. The optimal betting option appears to be a handicap bet of -2.0 goals.
Prediction for the match: Pyunik to win with -2.0 handicap.
