Urartu take on the visitors Zrinjski in the first leg of 1/8-finals in UEFA Champions League qualification playoffs. The match will be played on Tuesday, June 11th at Urartu Stadium (Yerevan).
The newly crowned champion of Armenia secured the title with one round remaining, defeating Pyunik in a head-to-head match a month ago (1-0). The team, led by former Spartak-2 coach and assistant coach Dmitry Gunko, became title holders for the first time in their history. The team strengthened their squad with Russian players for the UEFA Champions League. Experienced goalkeeper Avakumov joined from Ararat-Armenia, and they also loaned forward Artem Maksimenko, who scored 12 goals for Volgograd's "Rotor" last season. Overall, Gunko's team plays with balance and strives to take the initiative in most games. I'm confident they will do the same against Zrinjski.
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The Bosnian team achieved a domestic double last season, winning both the cup and the championship. In the league, the team from Mostar successfully defended their title. They started their preparations for the new season two weeks ago and have played four matches during that time. The white and red team suffered an initial defeat against Slovenia's Mura (0-1) but then secured three victories, defeating Croatian teams Varazdin (3-1), Lokomotiva Zagreb (3-0), and Posusje (3-1). Their scoring prowess in friendly matches is impressive, but the intensity and opposition will be different in this upcoming match.
In my opinion, the bookmakers have assessed the odds for this game correctly. The Armenian team holds a slight advantage due to playing on their home ground and their more balanced style of play. Zrinjski, on the other hand, may be hindered by excessive emotions, which could work against them in Yerevan. They are generally an attacking team that tends to concede goals in European qualification rounds. Urartu Charentsavan has high ambitions and needs to start with a victory against an opponent that is clearly within the capabilities of Malakyan, Lemaic, and company. Let's go with the hosts in this match with a handicap of zero.
Prediction for the match: Urartu to win with 0.0 handicap.
