Armenia national football squad manager: Tomorrow will be more difficult than ever, but we should see change in dedication, belief in the game

By Lusine Shahbazyan

If we don't win tomorrow, we will win in the future. Yeghishe Melikyan, the newly appointed manager of the Armenian national football team, stated this at Friday’s prematch press conference in Yerevan.

Armenia will host Portugal on Saturday in the first round of the European Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

"I won't surprise anyone by saying that tomorrow will be very difficult for us, as we are dealing with a serious opponent. We have our plan. It's not that the Portuguese don't have weaknesses. We will try to close the strengths that they have. We will try to fulfill our tasks on the pitch.

I always have a game plan. Whether it will work or not is another question, but I always prepare a plan. We will surprise the opponent. We will try to use what we have planned. There can be no plan that will not be a surprise for the opponent. We have prepared. I have always seen our team from the outside, [but] now I know it from the inside. I am more confident in the team, there is a very good atmosphere in the team, there is discipline, the guys are completely fulfilling the tasks set by me. With these guys, you can go on a path. I believe [in it].

I can’t say what will happen tomorrow, it will be more difficult than ever. I can’t predict the score, but we should see a change in the dedication and belief in the game.

Only tomorrow can I show and say who our captain will be. Several deserve the captain’s armband. We have several leaders for whom it is not so important whether they have the armband or not.

I am emotional, yes, but I don’t make all my serious decisions emotionally. I don’t have a problem with any player within the team, I haven’t had any in the past at clubs. I hope I won’t have any in the future, too. I only have a task tomorrow in the game against Portugal.

(…).

If we don’t win tomorrow, we will win in the future. I feel confident in the team, I see serious guys in the team, I see a collective. I do not know what happened before, but I believe in this team. The Football Federation of Armenia has not set anything for me at this phase. I have a task set for me that there are tasks, I must fulfill them. I do not know whether I will be able to fulfill [them] in this round. The task is to fulfill these tasks and achieve results.

I have been working in Armenia for five years, and I have never avoided an answer. After these two matches, I will create an opportunity for us to talk about my decision to lead the team. Everything is normal. No one in the federation is trying to hinder my work; on the contrary, they are trying to help, to be useful," Melikyan said.

The aforesaid Armenia vs. Portugal match will kick off at 8pm.

Photo by Emma Asatryan