Armenia captain Henrikh Mkhitaryan reveals just how quickly his move to Roma developed and admires the new Italy. “They like to play the ball more.”
The Azzurri’s trip to Yerevan kicks off on Thursday at 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT) and arrives just days after Mkhitaryan left Arsenal for Serie A club Roma.
“Everything happened on the last day and right after the Tottenham game, I got a call from my agent,” Mkhitaryan said in his Press conference ahead of Armenia’s Euro 2020 qualifier with Italy.
“He told me that I have to fly to Rome the next day for a medical and to sign the contract. It is a great opportunity for me, as I didn’t get much playing time at Arsenal.
“I haven’t spent 90 minutes on the pitch for a while, but I am ready to play, as I’ve been training regularly. You play football not just with your feet, but also your brain. If you convince yourself that you can play 90 minutes, then anything is possible.”
Armenia are currently third in the group, but fresh from beating Greece 3-2 in Athens, while the Nazionale have won all four matches.
“There have been many changes to Italy since we last played them in 2012, with a new squad, Coach and philosophy of football. This Italy side likes to play the ball more than back in 2012, but we’ll still try everything possible to control the game.
“They are the strongest side in the group and won all four matches so far. The top two qualify from the group and we will be there fighting it out for qualification. There are no easy opponents in the group, as even Liechtenstein could pick up points.”
These nations have only played before in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, with Italy winning 3-1 away and held to a 2-2 draw in Naples.