Let's take a closer look at "Pyunik's" upcoming opponent in the Conference League - the North Macedonian champion FC "Struga," which, like "Pyunik," was eliminated from the Champions League.
FC "Struga" is a young but ambitious club from North Macedonia. Founded in 2015 by the construction company "Trim & Lum", the club quickly rose from regional leagues to the top division and has achieved significant success in recent years. In 2023, "Struga" became the country's champion for the first time, and in 2024, it defended this title.
- Year of foundation: 2015
- City: Struga
- Stadium: Gradska Plaža (capacity of 800 people)
- European competitions: Biljanini Izvori stadium in Ohrid (capacity of 1500 people)
- Team value according to Transfermarkt: €5.55 million (for comparison, "Pyunik's" value is €6.18 million)
FC "Struga" has already participated in European competitions, although it has not achieved great heights:
- 2021/22: Eliminated by Latvian "Liepaja" in the first round of the Conference League (2-5).
- 2023/24: Eliminated by Lithuanian "Žalgiris" in the first round of the Champions League (1-2). In the Conference League, the team defeated Montenegrin "Budućnost" (5-3) and Luxembourgish "Swift" (4-3), but lost to Icelandic "Breidablik" in the playoffs (3-6).
- 2024/25: Eliminated by Slovak "Slovan" in the first round of the Champions League. Now the team will face "Pyunik."
Team Roster
- Most expensive player: Forward Marjan Radeski (29 years old, €600,000)
- Foreign players: The team has 7 foreign players, including two Serbs, two Nigerians, a Japanese, a Bosnian, and a player from Burkina Faso. Among them, Nikola Vlaisavljević and Lanre Kehinde are the most expensive foreign players, each valued at €400,000.
Special attention should be paid to the players who previously played in the Armenian championship. The "Struga" squad includes three former "Pyunik" players - Marjan Radeski, Kire Ristevski, and Stefan Spirovski, all of whom played under the leadership of Yegishe Melikyan in the 2022/23 season with "Pyunik," as well as former "Shirak" player Bunjamin Shabani. These players are key figures in the team, and Radeski was the second-best scorer in the last North Macedonian championship with 15 goals.
Besart Ibraimi, a 37-year-old forward, is the main star of "Struga." At one time, he played in the Bundesliga for "Schalke" and in Ukraine, but his best years were spent at home, where he became the league's top scorer five times. He has 144 goals in 223 matches in the North Macedonian championship.
Transfers and Squad Changes
After the championship season, the team's core remained unchanged, except for the loss of the main goalkeeper Vedran Kjosevski. However, this summer "Struga" strengthened by signing former "Pyunik" players Kire Ristevski and Stefan Spirovski, as well as winger Arbi Vosha (6+4 last season) and forward Lanre Kehinde (12+5) from the local championship.
"Struga" and "Pyunik" play in a similar style, using a formation with five defenders. Both clubs demonstrate organized and balanced football, more focused on defense.
The chances of winning in the confrontation are considered equal. However, the rich experience in European competitions and the more qualified defensive line of "Pyunik" may play a decisive role. At the same time, "Struga's" attack looks more coordinated and balanced.
The first match will take place on July 24 in Ohrid, and the return game will be held in Yerevan on July 30.
