Kosovo will welcome Armenia to the National Stadium, as they clash in an International friendly in Pristina on Friday.
The hosts will go into this contest in a confident mood, having won their last three competitive fixtures, while the visitors have struggled in recent months.
Match preview
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Kosovo recorded a 5-2 aggregate victory over Iceland to earn promotion to the second tier of the UEFA Nations League, for the first time in their short football history.
Franco Foda's team have been impressive in recent engagements, going on a three-game winning streak between November 2024 and March.
In that period, the Dardanians showed consistency in attack, scoring six times and conceded only two goals.
Foda and his Kosovo side will be looking to continue their fine form, and a victory will extend their winning streak to four games.
The Kosovans will be confident of yet another fine outing in front of their fans, as they are unbeaten at home since September.
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Meanwhile, Armenia have been in all kinds of trouble, a situation which culminated in their failure to advance to the UEFA Nations League second tier.
The visitors had hopes of getting past Georgia when the pair met in the UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation play-off in March, but they were easily decimated 9-1 on aggregate by their opponents.
The back-to-back losses in March leave them with only two wins in their last 10 matches, with a solitary draw and six defeats, a record they will be aiming to improve.
However, their defensive record does not make for good reading, having conceded 21 goals in those fixtures, a record which highlights their frailties.
In their previous two meetings, the Havakakan have managed one draw and a loss, meaning an unlikely win on Friday will earn them their first triumph over the hosts.
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Team News
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Ahead of this contest, Foda will have to cope with the absence of some of his trusted regulars in Friday's contest.
Kosovo's top scorer and Mallorca striker Vedat Muriqi and Milot Rashica have both been ruled out of this contest due to injury.
Similarly, Napoli ace Amir Rrahmani and Valon Berisha are also sidelined for this fixture; however, Foda can still call upon the likes of Amir Saipi and Bulgaria-based Lumbardh Dellova.
For the visiting side, Ognjen Cancarevic is recuperating from a shoulder injury, and he has been left out of the squad.
Similarly, Tigran Barseghyan is scheduled to go under the knife for an unspecified injury, while Vahan Bichakhchyan and Ugochukwu Iwu were not called up due to injury.
Kosovo possible starting lineup:
Saipi; Vojvoda, Paqarada, Beka, Hadergjonaj; Demaku, Rexhbecaj; Emmerllahu, Krasniqi, Korenica; Muslija
Armenia possible starting lineup:
Avagyan; Hovhannisyan, Harutyunyan, Haroyan, Mkrtchyan; Spertsyan, Muradyan, Sevikyan; Grigoryan, Aghbalyan; Serobyan
We say: Kosovo 2-0 Armenia
Considering Kosovo's current form and Armenia's recent defensive struggles, we can only back the home side to claim a 2-0 victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
