Armenia vs Belarus – News and Probable Lineups

After a four-month hiatus following their 9-1 defeat against Portugal, Armênia will return to action on Sunday against Bielorrússia in an international friendly at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium.

Similar to their hosts, the Bielorrússia team will not participate in the 2026 World Cup, making this match an important opportunity to prepare for the upcoming UEFA Nations League in September.

Match overview

Armênia’s trip to Porto to face Portugal ended a sequence of three consecutive matches without scoring, but Havakakan allowed nine goals, overshadowing the relief of finally hitting the net.

Eghishe Melikyan’s squad had failed to score in World Cup qualifying defeats against Hungria (2-0), Irlanda (1-0), and another loss to Hungria (1-0), and they would hardly have anticipated such a heavy defeat to the 2016 European champions.

That loss to Portugal marked their fourth consecutive defeat, and they will be eager to prevent a fifth straight loss and to achieve their first win since September.

That previous victory also occurred against Ireland in World Cup qualifying, and while it ultimately had little effect on their qualification hopes, as they ended up last in Group F, it ensured they avoided a complete winless campaign.

Now they aim to secure their first victory in five matches to slightly alleviate the memory of that humiliating defeat to the former European champions at the end of 2025.

Bielorrússia may not be considered continental giants, but they come into Sunday’s friendly in better form.

Although the White Wings did not manage to win any of their last seven matches in 2025, including six World Cup qualifiers, they managed to avoid loss in their last two games against Dinamarca and Bielorrússia, finishing 2-2 and 0-0, respectively.

Viktor Goncharenko took over managerial duties following those final results of 2025, and he commenced his tenure successfully with Thursday’s 1-0 victory over Chipre.

Ivan Tikhomirov’s goal in the 24th minute gave Bielorrússia the advantage, and they maintained their lead to achieve their first win since June 2025.

Now, Goncharenko seeks to lead Bielyia Kryly to consecutive victories for the first time since their wins over Azerbaijão (2-0) and Cazaquistão (4-1) between March and June, as he looks to preserve his unbeaten start in the role.

Team News

Initially included in the Armênia squad, Karen Melkonyan has since withdrawn and has been replaced by Arsen Sadoyan.

Sadoyan is one of six outfield players—Junior Bueno, Artur Askaryan, Karlen Hovhannisyan, Finn Geragusian, and Narek Hovhannisyan—who may make their international debuts on Sunday, while goalkeepers Arman Nersesyan and Gor Matinyan could also earn their first caps for Havakakan.

After an impressive debut against Chipre, Tikhomirov will aim to continue that momentum into his second international appearance for the White Wings.

With Karen Vardanyan also making his initial appearance for Bielorrússia last time out, Daniil Galyata remains the only outfield player in the squad yet to earn an international cap, while Mikhail Kozakevich could see action if Goncharenko chooses to rotate his goalkeeping position.

Armênia probable starting XI:

Avagyan; Tiknizyan, Mkrtchyan, Muradyan, Piloyan; Agasaryan, Arutyunyan, Oganesyan; Spertsyan, Ranos, Serobyan

Belarus probable starting XI:

Lapoukhov; Pechenin, Volkov, Shumanskiy, Kalinin; Yablonskiy, Ebong; Gromyko, Barkoxiy, Tikhomirov; Lisakovich

Bielorrússia may carry the positive momentum from their victory against Chipre into Yerevan, exploiting Armênia’s defensive frailties. However, Havakakan might rally late to ensure a respectable score in what could be a narrow defeat.