First Conclusions After Four Rounds of the Armenian Premier League: Favorites, Breakthrough Teams and Strugglers

The Armenian championship is only beginning to gather momentum, but after four rounds it is already possible to draw some initial conclusions about the balance of power in the league.

Just like last season, five clubs appear to be the main contenders for the title and European qualification places: Noah, Ararat-Armenia, Alashkert, Pyunik and Urartu. All of them have made fairly confident starts to the season, while Noah remain perfect so far, with four wins from four matches and first place on 12 points.

However, it looks as though Armenian Premier League newcomers Sardarapat may be ready to join the familiar group of leading teams. They are still unbeaten, with two wins and a draw from three matches. Seven points and a game in hand mean the newcomers can already be considered serious potential contenders for the top positions.

Shirak, Gandzasar and Ararat also deserve special mention. Based on their opening matches, these teams have made a positive impression and appear capable of regularly taking points from the favorites. Matches against them certainly will not be straightforward, which could make this season considerably more competitive.

At the bottom of the table, Van and Syunik are already beginning to stand out. Both teams have collected just one point and conceded ten goals in four matches. However, the presence of teams in this position does not make the league any worse. On the contrary, many young players are receiving regular playing time, and competing at Premier League level is an extremely important stage in their development.

BKMA are a different story. The army club traditionally begins each new season with a significantly renewed squad. The new recruits need time to build chemistry, adapt to the demands of the Premier League and become accustomed to senior football. For that reason, it is clearly too early to draw any definitive conclusions about the team after only a few matches.

The first four rounds have highlighted one key point: this season's championship features not only the familiar group of favorites, but also several teams capable of producing surprises. Sardarapat will be particularly interesting to follow — can the Premier League newcomers maintain this pace over the long run?