Tulipa: “The Match Against Shamrock Rovers Is Important for Armenian Football as a Whole”

Ararat-Armenia head coach Manuel Tulipa and midfielder Karen Muradyan shared their expectations ahead of the second leg of their 2026/27 UEFA Champions League second qualifying-round tie against Irish side Shamrock Rovers.

The match will take place in Dublin on July 28. The Armenian club won the first leg 2–0 thanks to goals from Sandro Lima and Zidane Banjaki. However, Ararat-Armenia understand that the tie is far from over.

Shamrock Rovers are particularly confident when playing at home. In the first qualifying round, the Irish side lost 2–0 away to Malta’s Floriana, but then thrashed their opponents 5–1 at home to advance to the next stage.

Ararat-Armenia also recorded a 2–0 home victory in the previous round, defeating Riga. The Armenian team lost the return leg 3–2 but progressed on aggregate.

Tulipa: “We Understand the Full Weight of Our Responsibility”

Ahead of the match, the Ararat-Armenia head coach acknowledged the strength of the opposition and stressed that his team had no intention of abandoning its usual style of play.

“We have travelled a long and difficult road to reach the second qualifying round of the Champions League. The journey to Dublin was also very long. Nevertheless, we are ready for the match and understand the full weight of our responsibility at moments like this. At the same time, we have not forgotten that Shamrock Rovers are strong opponents. This match is extremely important for both teams.

“We know what we are capable of and understand our strengths. Yes, we have a two-goal advantage, but Shamrock will put us under considerable pressure in an effort to force us into mistakes. They are a very strong pressing team. However, if we want to develop, we must be ready for matches like this.

“Their pressing and attacking line can cause us a lot of problems. If our midfielders play correctly and deny the opposition space, Shamrock will begin to experience difficulties of their own. We will try to take advantage of our opportunities and the spaces that open up in attack. The more opposition players who take part in the press, the more opportunities we will have further forward. A great deal will depend on our attacking players.

“I do not want the players to move away from our style because they are thinking about the score from the first leg. That would go against our philosophy. We must play our own football.

“The upcoming match is important not only for the club but for Armenian football as a whole, so we understand our responsibility. When I joined this team, my aim was to ensure that we competed in matches like this as often as possible. Perhaps I did not expect it to happen so soon, but we have already done an enormous amount of work.

“I believe in my players. They have the strength of character required for matches like this. They are experienced footballers, many of whom have represented their national teams. We have also been joined by experienced new signings. All of this helps us keep possession and control the initiative. We are not going to simply surrender the ball to our opponents.

“The only thing I ask of the players is that they feel comfortable on the pitch. A great deal depends on that. This will be a historic match, and I am certain that understanding its importance will help us,” Tulipa said.

Muradyan: “We Have Come to Dublin to Win”

Ararat-Armenia midfielder Karen Muradyan said that the team intended to begin the match aggressively and had no plans to play solely to protect its advantage.

“Everyone understands the importance of the occasion, but they also know that we need to prepare properly for the match. There is no additional pressure. We know how we must approach the game in order to achieve our objective.

“We have studied the mistakes we made in the return leg against Riga and will try to correct them. We need to start the match actively and show that we have come here to win.

“Shamrock Rovers are considerably stronger at home. That will be one of the main challenges, but we are prepared for anything. We will focus on our own game and try to win,” Muradyan said.

The winners of the Ararat-Armenia–Shamrock Rovers tie will face the winners of the meeting between Slovenia’s Celje and Albania’s Egnatia in the next round of the Champions League. The first leg between those two teams ended in a 3–3 draw.

The teams that lose the two ties will continue their European campaigns in the Europa League, where they will face each other.