Julio Bueno to miss Armenia’s remaining Nations League matches as Melikyan is left with four centre-backs

Armenia have lost another centre-back following their victory over Latvia in the opening round of the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League. Head coach Yeghishe Melikyan said Julio Bueno will be unable to help the team for the rest of the current international window. He did not specify the reason for Bueno’s absence or how long his recovery might take.

Bueno started against Latvia but played only the first half. At the break, he was replaced by 33-year-old Argishti Petrosyan, who made his senior international debut. Armenia won the match 2–0.

The loss is particularly significant ahead of the home game against Montenegro on September 28. Armenia had already lost centre-backs Styopa Mkrtchyan and Sergey Muradyan to injury. Melikyan now has Georgii Harutyunyan, Erik Piloyan, Argishti Petrosyan and Erik Simonyan available in that position. Petrosyan and Simonyan both made their Armenia debuts against Latvia.

Four centre-backs leave little cover for a team that uses a back three and has three more matches to play in a short period. Melikyan must decide how to manage their playing time. Calling up a player from the under-21 squad is a possible option, but no addition to the senior squad has been announced.

After hosting Montenegro in Yerevan, Armenia will visit Cyprus on October 2 and face Montenegro again in Podgorica on October 5.