Leading the race for automatic promotion from League C Group 4, second-placed Armenia and unbeaten leaders North Macedonia will meet in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday.
The hosts return to Yerevan having salvaged a point from Thursday's trip to the Faroe Islands, while their visitors cruised to victory over Latvia.
Match preview
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Despite dominating both possession and the shot count at Torsvollur, it took two equalisers - the second coming deep into second-half stoppage time - to prevent Armenia losing to the Faroe Islands in their third Group 4 contest.
Lucas Zelarayan first hauled them level just before half time, before substitute Gor Manvelyan rescued a 2-2 draw with time fast running out.
Oleksandr Petrakov's side had started off with a promising 4-1 win against Latvia in their first Nations League fixture of the 2024-25 campaign, played at the start of September, but three days later they lost 2-0 in North Macedonia.
All of which leaves Armenia on four points so far, currently occupying a promotion playoff spot; however, slipping down to last place between now and mid-November could result in relegation.
Therefore, the Havakakan cannot afford to slip up against their Macedonian counterparts again, following a three-game losing streak against Sunday's opponents.
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Not only did North Macedonia win last month's meeting 2-0 on home turf, but they also took four points from Armenia in the last set of World Cup qualifiers, scoring five times without reply.
Furthermore, the Lions were 3-1 winners in a friendly this time last year, underlining their recent dominance in the teams' head-to-head.
They have also taken a dominant hold over Group 4 at its halfway point, after beating Latvia 3-0 in Riga earlier this week, with star man Eljif Elmas netting the third during second-half stoppage time.
Having posted consecutive wins in the same Nations League campaign for the first time since 2018, North Macedonia are in pole position to claim a first-place finish next month and secure automatic promotion to Europe's second tier.
Captain Enis Bardhi and Girona striker Bojan Miovski were both on target in September's victory over Armenia - achieved despite being down to 10 men for the whole second half - and if Blagoja Milevski's main men can come to the fore again this weekend, top spot could be theirs to lose.
Team News
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North Macedonia can recall Gjoko Zajkov on Sunday, as the centre-back has now served a one-match suspension for being sent off in the reverse fixture against Armenia.
If selected, he would come into a defence featuring 78-cap veteran Ezgjan Alioski at left-back, while Eljif Elmas and Enis Bardhi will control operations in midfield. The latter scored in both of the Lions' first two Nations League matches this season, taking his international tally up to 18.
Elsewhere, head coach Blagoja Milevski is without two wide men this week, as Darko Churlinov and Aleksandar Trajkovski both withdrew from the squad due to injury.
Meanwhile, Armenia will again turn to Al-Fateh attacker Lucas Zelarayan and Borussia Monchengladbach forward Grant-Leon Ramos for inspiration in the final third.
Following his strike from a free kick in midweek, Argentina-born Zelarayan has found the net five times for his adopted country, making him their joint-top active scorer.
Young forward Gor Manvelyan, of UEFA Conference League participants FC Noah, grabbed the late leveller on his second senior appearance and will be hopeful of breaking into the hosts' starting XI.
Armenia possible starting lineup:
Cancarevic; Haroyan, Muradyan, Arutyunyan; Hovhannisyan, Iwu, Spertsyan, Harutyunyan, Tiknizyan; Ramos, Zelarayan
North Macedonia possible starting lineup:
Dimitrievski; Babunski, Musliu, Zajkov, Alioski; Ashkovski, Atanasov, Bardhi, Elmas, Dimoski; Miovski
We say: Armenia 1-2 North Macedonia
Armenia have won just two of their last 13 matches and struggled to take a single point in the Faroe Islands, so North Macedonia can claim maximum points once again.
Doing the double over their hosts would put the Lions in total control of Group 4 with two games remaining, leaving promotion to League B within their grasp.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
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