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Steffen Schmidt - July 12, 2023
Pyunik vs Narva Trans
UEFA Conference League Qualification
Date: 13 July 2023, Thursday
Kick-off at 16:00 UK / 17:00 CET
Venue: Kotaik Stadium (Abovian).
Pyunik will be massive favorites at the start of their 2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League campaign against Estonian side Narva Trans.
The first leg will be played on Thursday afternoon at Kotaik Stadium in Abovian, 13 miles northeast of Pyunik’s regular home in Yerevan.
The hosts have played the group stage a European competition for the first time last year when they came third in the Conference League section with Basel, Slovan Bratislava, and Zalgiris.
They’ve picked up two impressive home wins over Slovan and Zalgiris in the process. It is worth noting that the Armenians had earlier managed to reach the third qualifying round of the Champions League, eliminating the likes of CFR Cluj along the way.
They also suffered a loss on penalties in the Europa League playoffs against Sheriff Tiraspol last year.
The visitors, on the other side, have never managed an aggregate win in Europe. As a matter of fact, they have not been anywhere near a European win in more than a decade.
Narva Trans lost each of the last ten ties in the opening rounds of qualifications for the continental competitions by at least four goals difference on aggregate.
The run includes an embarrassing 1-5 loss to Zeljeznicar Sarajevo in 2018 and a 1-6 aggregate defeat to Buducnost Podgorica (who were demolished by Icelandic side Breidablik in this year’s UEFA Champions League preliminary round).
Also, it is worth noting that Narva are struggling badly this season in Estonian top flight, sitting third from bottom in the league table with 13 losses in 20 matches.
Narva Trans head into this off the back of three subsequent demolishing defeats in the domestic league, conceding at least three goals in each and failing to find the back of the net at all along the way.
Narva also have the worst attacking record and the second-weakest defensive record in the Estonian elite class this year with a goal difference of 13-33 after 20 rounds. Pyunik should not have any problems closing the tie in the first leg on the home soil. You can back the hosts to win both halves at the 2.20 odds.
