Challengers out to break Pyunik grip
Monday 14 April 2008by Khachik Chakhoyan from Yerevan

FC Pyunik may have enjoyed a winning start but
Armenia’s perennial champions will need to overcome
some stern competition this season if they are to
clinch the Bardzraguyn Khumb title for an eighth
consecutive year.

Five contenders
FC Banants, FC MIKA and Ararat Yerevan were Pyunik’s
closest challengers last term and all three clubs have
begun the 2008 campaign with renewed optimism after
strengthening their squads during the closed season.
FC Gandzasar Kapan, fifth in the eight-team top flight
last year, have also recruited heavily and cannot be
discounted in what promises to be a particularly open
title race.

Youthful Pyunik
Pyunik remain the team to beat, yet their inexperience
could present the other contenders with an opportunity
to end the Yerevan club’s dominance. Aside from their
two veteran Armenian internationals, Sargis Hovsepyan
and Karen Dokhoyan, the Pyunik side is flushed with
youth and much is expected of emerging trio Henrikh
Mkhitaryan, Gevorg Ghazaryan and Karlen Lazarian, all
of whom have been capped by the national team.

Two-point advantage
A slender 1-0 win against FC Ulis Yerevan in the
season’s opening match on 6 April ensures Pyunik
already have a two-point advantage over city-rivals
and last year’s runners-up Banants, who could only
draw 0-0 with Gandzasar. That stalemate, coupled with
an unconvincing penalty shoot-out win over FC Shirak
in the last eight of the Armenian Cup, has put some
pressure on the club’s new Bulgarian coach Nedelcho
Matushev, who has replaced his countryman Nikolai
Kostov.

Israelyan confident
Banants, the cup holders, underlined their intentions
by signing the highly-rated Armenian international
Romik Khachatryan to partner Karen Aleksanyan in
midfield, and club president Sargis Israelyan is
optimistic for the remainder of the season. "We were
missing too many players during the preparation period
and that’s why our form is not good at the moment,"
Israelyan said. "However, I’m confident we can
challenge for the top places, as well as trying to
repeat our success in the Armenian Cup."

Comfortable victories
Ararat and MIKA, meanwhile, enjoyed perfect starts to
their league campaigns, securing comfortable home
victories. Varuzhan Sukiasyan’s return to the Ararat
dugout has had a positive impact, with an impressive
come-from-behind win over Ulis in the Armenian Cup
quarter-finals followed by a 5-0 league triumph over
FC Kilikia. Arkadiy Andreasyan’s MIKA, who are also
through to the cup semi-finals, defeated Shirak 3-1 in
their league encounter.

Argentinian signings
Gandzasar have been eliminated from the cup, losing on
penalties to Pyunik, yet few will be taking them
lightly in the Bardzraguyn Khumb. The Kapan outfit now
have 14 foreign players on their books, an Armenian
record, after signing five Argentinian players. Yet
coach Samvel Petrosyan knows his South American
newcomers – Claudio Alanis, Aleo Jelatini, Jose
Rikardo, Carlos Mavilyan and Jonatan Mavilla – will
need to settle quickly if the club is to mount a
serious title challenge.

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