Making their deepest tally successful UEFA Champions League qualifying successful the club’s history, Ararat-Armenia volition look to usage location vantage to their payment erstwhile Celje sojourn the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium connected Tuesday successful the archetypal limb of the 3rd qualifying round.
The Armenian broadside person reached this signifier having won some of their erstwhile location legs convincingly, portion Celje get having needed penalties to progress.
Match preview
Ararat-Armenia participate the 3rd qualifying circular having navigated the 2 erstwhile stages, winning comfortably astatine location earlier being made to enactment considerably harder successful the distant legs - a signifier that makes Tuesday’s location archetypal limb each the much important for the Armenian side.
In the archetypal qualifying round, they beat Riga 2-0 successful the opening limb earlier losing the 2nd limb 3-2, and the 2nd qualifying circular followed a akin signifier - a 2-0 first-leg triumph giving them a level earlier Shamrock Rovers pulled backmost to triumph the instrumentality fixture 2-1, leaving Ararat to advancement connected aggregate.
The information that they person mislaid some distant legs successful this run is simply a important interest for Tulipa’s side, and it underlines wherefore establishing a commanding pb astatine the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium connected Tuesday is truthful captious earlier heading into the 2nd leg.
This is the archetypal clip Ararat-Armenia person reached the 3rd qualifying circular of the Champions League - a historical accomplishment for the club, who past participated successful UEFA Champions League qualifying successful the 2020-21 play pursuing their debut successful 2019-20, though they person ne'er travel adjacent to reaching the main league stage.
Domestically, Ararat opened their caller league play with a 4-3 distant triumph implicit Gandzasar connected Saturday - an encouraging commencement to the campaign, though the goals conceded successful that lucifer volition service arsenic a reminder to Tulipa that antiaircraft solidity remains an country requiring attention, peculiarly fixed however galore goals they person shipped successful the distant legs of this qualifying campaign.
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© Imago / IMAGO / CTK Photo
Celje, meanwhile, participate the 3rd circular having progressed from the 2nd qualifying circular - drafting 3-3 with Egnatia successful the archetypal limb earlier a 2-2 gully successful the return forced a punishment shootout, which the Slovenian broadside won 4-1 to advance.
Vitor Campelos’s broadside are presently seventh successful the Slovenian apical formation aft 2 draws from their opening 2 home fixtures, and their astir caller outing earlier Tuesday’s archetypal limb was a 1-1 gully astatine location successful the league astatine the weekend, coming from a extremity down to salvage a point.
Celje reached the 2nd qualifying circular of the 2024-25 Champions League earlier suffering a dense 5-0 second-leg decision to Slovan Bratislava, and the Slovenian nine volition beryllium determined to spell further successful this run - though their inability to triumph successful mean clip during the existent qualifying run is simply a interest heading into a necktie wherever margins are fine.
The lone erstwhile gathering betwixt these 2 clubs came successful the 2020 Europa League 3rd qualifying round, wherever Ararat edged a 1-0 triumph aft other clip - a effect that gives the hosts a flimsy intelligence borderline heading into Tuesday’s encounter.
Neither broadside has ever reached the main league signifier of the UEFA Champions League, meaning some clubs are chasing genuine past arsenic the qualifying rounds progress, and the archetypal limb connected Tuesday carries tremendous value for 2 teams for whom a spot successful the playoff circular would correspond an unprecedented achievement.
Ararat-Armenia Champions League form:
WLWL
Ararat-Armenia signifier (all competitions):
WLWLW
Celje Champions League form:
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Celje signifier (all competitions)
DDWD
Team News
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© Imago / Ball Raw Images
Ararat-Armenia person nary wounded concerns up of Tuesday’s archetypal leg, and Tulipa is expected to sanction a beardown broadside with the value of the juncture successful mind.
Joao Bravim is expected to commencement successful goal, with Bruno Wilson and Junior Bueno providing the cardinal antiaircraft concern down him.
The attacking trio of Artur Serobyan, Sandro Lima and Zhirayr Shaghoyan are expected to pb Ararat’s menace going forward, with the 3 having featured prominently crossed the earlier qualifying rounds.
For Celje, Zan-Luk Leban is acceptable to commencement successful goal, with a backmost 4 of Leonardo Koutris, Artemijus Tutyskinias, Darko Hrka and Pijus Sirvys expected to supply the antiaircraft structure.
Papa Daniel was rested successful the astir caller league fixture and could instrumentality to the midfield for Tuesday’s archetypal leg.
Mario Kvesic and Svit Seslar are acceptable to lend to the attack, with Milot Avdyli providing width from the helping arsenic Celje look to instrumentality thing backmost to Slovenia from the archetypal leg.
Ararat-Armenia imaginable starting lineup:
Bravim; Hovhannisyan, Wilson, Bueno, Grigoryan; Tera, Muradyan, Oliveira; Serobyan, Lima, Shaghoyan
Celje imaginable starting lineup:
Leban; Koutris, Tutyskinias, Hrka, Sirvys; Zabukovnik, Daniel, Kvesic; Avdyli, Kucys, Seslar
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We say: Ararat-Armenia 1-0 Celje
Ararat’s location grounds successful this run has been their instauration - winning some archetypal legs convincingly and Tulipa volition beryllium hopeless to found a pb earlier the distant limb wherever his broadside person repeatedly struggled to clasp on.
Celje person not won successful mean clip during the existent qualifying campaign, which is simply a concern, and portion their punishment shootout triumph implicit Egnatia demonstrated character, Ararat’s location assemblage and their humanities borderline successful the lone erstwhile gathering betwixt the sides tips the equilibrium successful favour of the hosts connected Tuesday evening.
For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.
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