Press Conference of Vahan Bichakhchyan and Yeghishe Melikyan before the Hungary – Armenia Match

On the eve of the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Hungary, which will take place on October 11 in Budapest, midfielder Vahan Bichakhchyan and Armenia national team head coach Yeghishe Melikyan shared their expectations. The player emphasized the excellent atmosphere in the team and their readiness to fight for a result, while the coach stressed his faith in the squad despite the strength of the opponent.

Vahan Bichakhchyan: “We came to Budapest to achieve a positive result”
“Hungary is a good team, and all the teams in our group are strong, which makes every match very difficult for us. The atmosphere in the team is excellent, we had good training sessions, everyone is in good shape. We came to Budapest to give our all on the pitch and to achieve a positive result.”

The midfielder noted that the team had prepared thoroughly:
“We studied the Hungarian team well. We will focus on our own game, we have our plan, and I hope we can bring it to life. I am sure we will impose our game and create many problems for the opponent.”

Bichakhchyan emphasized the importance of the new coach’s arrival:
“With the new coach, the atmosphere in the team has improved, Yeghishe Melikyan brought additional energy and belief in ourselves. I believe tomorrow we will play at the same level as against Ireland. The coach still needs more time to fully shape our style of play, but his work is already visible. I hope we can achieve our goals together.”

Yeghishe Melikyan: “We have only one goal — to succeed”
The coach was asked about how the team plans to deal with Hungary’s leader, Dominik Szoboszlai.

“I’ll say this: we have only one goal — to succeed, and we will do everything for that. We studied Szoboszlai well; he is a very good player and will certainly cause us problems, just like the entire Hungarian team. We are facing a strong team, and since it’s an away game, it will be twice as difficult — there will be pressure, there will be problems. But we have a good team, we believe in ourselves, and tomorrow we will fight.”

On Hungary’s missing players
“Yes, we studied that, but I don’t focus on missing players. We understand the team’s philosophy well. The Hungarian coach has been working there for 7 years, unlike me — I’ve only been in charge for 7 months. That means he knows his team better and knows how to get the best out of them. I don’t have that advantage yet. The only thing is, I have great faith in my team. No matter how Marco Rossi decides to play, it will still be difficult for us tomorrow. We are preparing for a tough match.”

On a draw and possible surprises
“Yes, because it’s an away game and the opponent is strong. A draw would be a good result for us.”

When asked about a possible tactical surprise, Melikyan replied:
“Yes, in home matches I wanted to make surprises. But in away matches I focus more on what surprises the opponents might bring.”

On Armenia’s problems
“Yes, there are deep problems, but I haven’t found solutions yet. More time is needed to find them, and then I will announce all the problems and their solutions.”

An analysis of the Armenian national team's readiness for matches against Hungary and Ireland