Photo courtesy of Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s Facebook page
This is a game that is expected to quietly take all of the headlines by storm by the end of Friday night. Czech Republic versus Armenia does not look like much on paper, but with both sides playing some of their best soccer in years, this game almost has to be a good one.
Let’s start with the visitors, Armenia. This team is led by 24-year-old attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who recently left Ukrainian giants Shaktar Donetsk to join the Bundesliga and Champions League runner-up Borussia Dortmund. If he plays in his usual influential role to inspire his teammates, a win is nowhere near out of the question.
Forgetting about Armenia’s 4-0 victory on Danish soil months ago is too difficult. Denmark completely fell apart defensively as they absolutely underestimated the strength and ability of the Armenian team. Goals from Yura Movsisyan (two), Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Aras Ozbiliz finished what was supposed to be mission impossible for the nation.
Another interesting fact for Armenia is that four days prior to that match, they lost 1-0 at home to lowly Malta, which shows us all that anything is possible in the game of soccer.
Now, let us take a look at their hosts. The Czechs last played a home qualifier against Italy in a 0-0 draw, but they were ever so dominant. Missed chances from their strikers and even left back Michael Kadlec left the home side begging for a lone goal for all three points. However, one point is all they earned.
That was a game where nothing went their way in the final third, but if history serves any purpose, tomorrow night could be brilliant for them.
The Czechs actually ripped Armenia in Armenia by a score of 3-0. However, the visitors are bit stronger now, especially after winning 4-0 in Denmark, a team that defeated the Czechs 3-0 on their own home soil.
Once again, this will be a very exciting game. Whenever the Czechs play, the matches always seem to be entertaining. As for the Armenians, this team is on the rise and will look for yet another upset on the road.
