Preview: Ararat-Armenia vs Celje - prediction, team news, lineups

Making their deepest run in UEFA Champions League qualifying in the club’s history, Ararat-Armenia will look to use home advantage to their benefit when Celje visit the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium on Tuesday in the first leg of the third qualifying round.

The Armenian side have reached this stage having won both of their previous home legs convincingly, while Celje arrive having needed penalties to progress.

Match preview

Ararat-Armenia enter the third qualifying round having navigated the two previous stages, winning comfortably at home before being made to work considerably harder in the away legs - a pattern that makes Tuesday’s home first leg all the more important for the Armenian side.

In the first qualifying round, they beat Riga 2-0 in the opening leg before losing the second leg 3-2, and the second qualifying round followed a similar pattern - a 2-0 first-leg win giving them a platform before Shamrock Rovers pulled back to win the return fixture 2-1, leaving Ararat to progress on aggregate.

The fact that they have lost both away legs in this campaign is a significant concern for Tulipa’s side, and it underlines why establishing a commanding lead at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium on Tuesday is so critical before heading into the second leg.

This is the first time Ararat-Armenia have reached the third qualifying round of the Champions League - a historic achievement for the club, who last participated in UEFA Champions League qualifying in the 2020-21 season following their debut in 2019-20, though they have never come close to reaching the main league stage.

Domestically, Ararat opened their new league season with a 4-3 away victory over Gandzasar on Saturday - an encouraging start to the campaign, though the goals conceded in that match will serve as a reminder to Tulipa that defensive solidity remains an area requiring attention, particularly given how many goals they have shipped in the away legs of this qualifying campaign.

Celje, meanwhile, enter the third round having progressed from the second qualifying round - drawing 3-3 with Egnatia in the first leg before a 2-2 draw in the return forced a penalty shootout, which the Slovenian side won 4-1 to advance.

Vitor Campelos’s side are currently seventh in the Slovenian top flight after two draws from their opening two domestic fixtures, and their most recent outing before Tuesday’s first leg was a 1-1 draw at home in the league at the weekend, coming from a goal behind to salvage a point.

Celje reached the second qualifying round of the 2024-25 Champions League before suffering a heavy 5-0 second-leg defeat to Slovan Bratislava, and the Slovenian club will be determined to go further in this campaign - though their inability to win in normal time during the current qualifying campaign is a concern heading into a tie where margins are fine.

The only previous meeting between these two clubs came in the 2020 Europa League third qualifying round, where Ararat edged a 1-0 victory after extra time - a result that gives the hosts a slight psychological edge heading into Tuesday’s encounter.

Neither side has ever reached the main league stage of the UEFA Champions League, meaning both clubs are chasing genuine history as the qualifying rounds progress, and the first leg on Tuesday carries enormous weight for two teams for whom a place in the playoff round would represent an unprecedented achievement.

Ararat-Armenia Champions League form:

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Ararat-Armenia form (all competitions):

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Celje Champions League form:

Celje form (all competitions)

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Team News

Ararat-Armenia have no injury concerns ahead of Tuesday’s first leg, and Tulipa is expected to name a strong side with the significance of the occasion in mind.

Joao Bravim is expected to start in goal, with Bruno Wilson and Junior Bueno providing the central defensive partnership behind him.

The attacking trio of Artur Serobyan, Sandro Lima and Zhirayr Shaghoyan are expected to lead Ararat’s threat going forward, with the three having featured prominently across the earlier qualifying rounds.

For Celje, Zan-Luk Leban is set to start in goal, with a back four of Leonardo Koutris, Artemijus Tutyskinias, Darko Hrka and Pijus Sirvys expected to provide the defensive structure.

Papa Daniel was rested in the most recent league fixture and could return to the midfield for Tuesday’s first leg.

Mario Kvesic and Svit Seslar are set to contribute to the attack, with Milot Avdyli providing width from the wing as Celje look to take something back to Slovenia from the first leg.

Ararat-Armenia possible starting lineup:

Bravim; Hovhannisyan, Wilson, Bueno, Grigoryan; Tera, Muradyan, Oliveira; Serobyan, Lima, Shaghoyan

Celje possible starting lineup:

Leban; Koutris, Tutyskinias, Hrka, Sirvys; Zabukovnik, Daniel, Kvesic; Avdyli, Kucys, Seslar

We say: Ararat-Armenia 1-0 Celje

Ararat’s home record in this campaign has been their foundation - winning both first legs convincingly and Tulipa will be desperate to establish a lead before the away leg where his side have repeatedly struggled to hold on.

Celje have not won in normal time during the current qualifying campaign, which is a concern, and while their penalty shootout victory over Egnatia demonstrated character, Ararat’s home crowd and their historical edge in the only previous meeting between the sides tips the balance in favour of the hosts on Tuesday evening.

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