Battling for a place in League B of the UEFA Nations League, Georgia are set to host Armenia at the Boris Paichadze Stadium for the second leg of their playoff on Sunday.
The hosts have a commanding three-goal lead heading into this weekend's clash, and it will take a remarkable comeback for the visitors to earn promotion.
Match preview
© Imago
Willy Sagnol's Georgia found themselves in a relegation playoff after a disastrous four-game winless run in which they lost three and drew just one of their matches going back to September.
Their final 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Czech Republic allowed Ukraine to leapfrog them in League B Group 1, dropping this weekend's hosts down into third place.
However, despite their poor run of form leading up to the playoff, Sagnol's side managed to take control of the tie with a 3-0 triumph on Thursday, courtesy of an opening goal from Giorgi Kochorashvili and a brace from Georges Mikautadze.
The boss will also be pleased that his team were able to keep their first clean sheet since their 1-0 win over Albania six months ago, and this will help to build confidence that his men can avoid any major slip-ups in the second leg.
Adding to this feeling of security will be the fact that Georgia have only lost once at home since 2023 - and just twice in almost four years – though the hosts would be wise to avoid complacency, even with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia back in action.
© Iconsport
Meanwhile, Armenia earned the chance to fight for promotion by taking second place in League C Group 4, where they beat Latvia 2-1 on matchday six to climb ahead of Faroe Islands.
That being said, it is notable that that victory was Havakakan's first for five matches and only their second competitive win since 2023, while they also finished nine points behind group-toppers North Macedonia.
However, with new manager John van 't Schip at the helm, fans will be looking for a turnaround in results, though the head coach got off to a tough start in the first leg earlier this week.
The visitors may be trailing by three goals, but they could find some hope in the fact that they earned more than half of their seven-point total on the road in League C, and that they have avoided defeat in back-to-back away games ahead of this weekend.
Armenia may also be inspired by the memory of how they got the better of Georgia back in 2020, when they drew with and beat Sunday's opponents.
Team News
© Imago
Georgia may be without centre-back Luka Lochoshvili this weekend after he was forced off with an injury in the first leg.
In his absence, expect Lasha Dvali to line up alongside Saba Goglichidze at the heart of defence, protecting goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili between the sticks.
The talismanic Kvaratskhelia was suspended for Thursday's game but should be available on Sunday, and he could start with Mikautadze and Zuriko Davitashvili in the frontline.
As for Armenia, midfielders Edward Spertsyan and Hohvannes Harutyunyan missed the first leg, and Ugochukwu Iwu should continue beside Artak Dashyan in the middle of the park this weekend.
Further forward, attacking midfielder Edgar Savikyan will be supporting striker Artur Miranyan as he looks to help his side claw back their three-goal deficit.
Georgia possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Kakabadze, Goglichidze, Dvali, Azarovi; Kochorashvili, Kvekveskiri, Kiteishvili; Davitashvili, Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia
Armenia possible starting lineup:
Cancarevic; Harutyunyan, Haroyan, Muradyan, Tiknizyan; Iwu, Dashyan; Barseghyan, Sevikyan, Manvelyan; Miranyan
We say: Georgia 2-1 Armenia
Georgia have a commanding lead from the first leg, and it will take a memorable comeback for Armenia to make their way into League B from this position.
However, with the visitors having spent more time with their new manager, they could cause some problems for the hosts, even if they eventually lose.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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