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Played
September 3, 2010 4:00 PM BST
Tofig Bakhramov Republican
Referee: Zsolt Szabo
September 3, 2010 4:00 PM BST
Tofig Bakhramov Republican
Referee: Zsolt Szabo
Euro 2012 Qualifying Preview: Armenia – Ireland
The Boys in Green play their first competitive match since their ill-fated evening at the Stade de France...
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By Robin Bairner
Tough At Home
Armenia begin the qualifying process for the 2012 European Championships as underdogs to succeed in Group B, though coach Vardan Minasyan will certainly be aiming for his side to spring a surprise or two over the course of the next year or so.
The pool’s fifth-seeded team, Armenia will struggle to draw upon much historical success, having failed previously to qualify for a major tournament, without ever coming close. Instead, they must look to individual matches for inspiration, with a success against Belgium at home almost exactly a year ago their most notable recent result.
Yerevan has tended to provide the backdrop for the majority of the nation’s great footballing results, though these almost exclusively come in the form of low scoring draws. During Euro 2008 qualifying, Armenia went unbeaten at home against the top four nations in their group, and replicating such success this time around would have to be considered a massive exploit.
National champions Pyunik Yerevan contribute a vast number of players to the international side, who have yet to play Ireland competitively and will be keen to start a fresh campaign against new opponents on the correct foot.
Dangerous Match
It’s less than a year since Ireland were controversially knocked out of the World Cup at the play-off stage by France, yet it will have felt an eternity ago for the Boys in Greens, who have been unable to make up for such hurt by getting back onto the field and playing competitively for their country. The Euro 2012 qualifiers finally bring that chance.
Giovanni Trapattoni’s could have been disrupted by the close of the transfer window on Tuesday as star names such as Shay Given and Robbie Keane are no longer considered automatic starters at their clubs, but the squad cruised rather serenely through the deadline, with only Liam Lawrence making a last minute change.
Aiden McGeady has recently made a dramatic transfer, trading Glasgow’s Celtic for Spartak Moscow, where he has been unable to play due to an injury sustained with the Scottish club.
“All the players are very sharp,” Marco Tardelli declared, according to the Irish Times. “I think it’s better if they play for their clubs but, if they don’t, they play with us. And maybe the rest means they will be stronger for the next match.”
The assistant will certainly not be taking anything for granted in Terevan, declaring that the Irish will be going for the win, not only in this encounter, but in all of their subsequent nine competitive matches. “The key to qualification is to win every match, but that’s not always possible. Our players are professionals, they want to win these two matches but we have also another team in the game.
“It’s possible to win if you play well but it’s also possible that the other team won’t permit this.
“This will be a very difficult match. Armenia is growing and at home they are very dangerous. They play quickly and are very tough. They have new, young players – I have seen many DVDs – and I think we need to pay attention.”
Concerns have been raised over the Armenian heat that the Irish will be faced with during this encounter, but given the quality Trapattoni commands, the Boys in Green should be able to banish their Parisian nightmare with three points.
Armenia begin the qualifying process for the 2012 European Championships as underdogs to succeed in Group B, though coach Vardan Minasyan will certainly be aiming for his side to spring a surprise or two over the course of the next year or so.
The pool’s fifth-seeded team, Armenia will struggle to draw upon much historical success, having failed previously to qualify for a major tournament, without ever coming close. Instead, they must look to individual matches for inspiration, with a success against Belgium at home almost exactly a year ago their most notable recent result.
Yerevan has tended to provide the backdrop for the majority of the nation’s great footballing results, though these almost exclusively come in the form of low scoring draws. During Euro 2008 qualifying, Armenia went unbeaten at home against the top four nations in their group, and replicating such success this time around would have to be considered a massive exploit.
National champions Pyunik Yerevan contribute a vast number of players to the international side, who have yet to play Ireland competitively and will be keen to start a fresh campaign against new opponents on the correct foot.
Dangerous Match
It’s less than a year since Ireland were controversially knocked out of the World Cup at the play-off stage by France, yet it will have felt an eternity ago for the Boys in Greens, who have been unable to make up for such hurt by getting back onto the field and playing competitively for their country. The Euro 2012 qualifiers finally bring that chance.
Giovanni Trapattoni’s could have been disrupted by the close of the transfer window on Tuesday as star names such as Shay Given and Robbie Keane are no longer considered automatic starters at their clubs, but the squad cruised rather serenely through the deadline, with only Liam Lawrence making a last minute change.
Aiden McGeady has recently made a dramatic transfer, trading Glasgow’s Celtic for Spartak Moscow, where he has been unable to play due to an injury sustained with the Scottish club.
“All the players are very sharp,” Marco Tardelli declared, according to the Irish Times. “I think it’s better if they play for their clubs but, if they don’t, they play with us. And maybe the rest means they will be stronger for the next match.”
The assistant will certainly not be taking anything for granted in Terevan, declaring that the Irish will be going for the win, not only in this encounter, but in all of their subsequent nine competitive matches. “The key to qualification is to win every match, but that’s not always possible. Our players are professionals, they want to win these two matches but we have also another team in the game.
“It’s possible to win if you play well but it’s also possible that the other team won’t permit this.
“This will be a very difficult match. Armenia is growing and at home they are very dangerous. They play quickly and are very tough. They have new, young players – I have seen many DVDs – and I think we need to pay attention.”
Concerns have been raised over the Armenian heat that the Irish will be faced with during this encounter, but given the quality Trapattoni commands, the Boys in Green should be able to banish their Parisian nightmare with three points.
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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
-
Armenia 0-2 Ireland
- 23.35 %
-
Armenia 0-1 Ireland
- 19.16 %
-
Armenia 0-0 Ireland
- 18.56 %
| Euro 2012 (EC) | Oct 11, 2011 | Ireland 2 - Armenia 1 |
|
| Euro 2012 (EC) | Sep 3, 2010 | Armenia 0 - Ireland 1 |
|
Armenia
    |
||
| Oct 11, 2011 | Ireland 2 - Armenia 1 | EC |
| Oct 7, 2011 | Armenia 4 - Macedonia FYR 1 | EC |
| Sep 6, 2011 | Slovakia 0 - Armenia 4 | EC |
| Sep 2, 2011 | Andorra 0 - Armenia 3 | EC |
| Aug 10, 2011 | Lithuania 3 - Armenia 0 | FR |
Ireland
  |
||
| Nov 15, 2011 | Ireland 1 - Estonia 1 | EC |
| Nov 11, 2011 | Estonia 0 - Ireland 4 | EC |
| Oct 11, 2011 | Ireland 2 - Armenia 1 | EC |
| Oct 7, 2011 | Andorra 0 - Ireland 2 | EC |
| Sep 6, 2011 | Russia 0 - Ireland 0 | EC |
|
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Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
|
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Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
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Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
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| - | Shay Given | Goalkeeper |
| 5 | Sean St Ledger | Defender |
| - | Kevin Kilbane | Midfielder |
| - | John O'Shea | Defender |
| 5 | Richard Dunne | Defender |
| 16 | Glenn Whelan | Midfielder |
| 6 | Liam Lawrence | Midfielder |
| 8 | Paul Green | Midfielder |
| - | Kevin Doyle | Striker |
| - | Robbie Keane | Striker |
| - | Aiden McGeady | Midfielder |
| - | Keiren Westwood | Goalkeeper |
| - | Greg Cunningham | |
| 15 | Stephen Kelly | Defender |
| 14 | Darron Gibson | Midfielder |
| - | Cillian Sheridan | |
| - | Keith Fahey | Midfielder |
| 21 | Andrew Keogh | Midfielder |
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