The third round of Europa League qualifying is here and Maccabi Tel Aviv will visit Pyunik in Yerevan, Armenia this evening, Tuesday (19:00 Israel time) in first leg action at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium for a ticket to the Playoff Round.

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Know your Opponent: FC Pyunik

Maccabi held their final training session last night at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium which will be filled to capacity with over 14,000 fans who will supporting the first ever Armenian club to have advanced to the third round of the competition.

Along with the home support the weather will be unseasonably warm and reports indicate that it will be 28 degrees celsius at the start of the match.

Maccabi is expecting to face a strong and aggressive opponent while the Yellow & Blue will have Omer Atzily back after a suspension. “This won’t be a simple tie and they didn’t get to this stage by chance,” the winger said. “We have to play tough and do what we need to. I missed taking part in the last match but I’m happy to be here.”

“Pyunik is a strong team with a group of players who work hard during the game, said Head Coach Vladimir Ivic. “They also fight for every ball and play at a good level. There are a lot of players with quality on their squad and we are prepared for this.”

Striker Aaron Schoenfeld added, “Our goal as a team is to advance to the group stages of the Europa League. But Pyunik is a good side and we know that if will be a challenge.”

Yesterday the Playoff Round Draw took place and it was determined that Maccabi would play the winner of Sarpsborg from Norway and Croatian outfit HNK Rijeka should they advance.