Malta will look to pick up its first points of the group stage when it takes on Armenia in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers on Friday.
The Maltese lost all five of their matches and only scored once; Roderick Briffa is the lone scorer. Despite the poor effort thus far, Malta can still qualify if it manages to win its final five matches. The top team in the group earns an automatic berth to the World Cup Finals in Brazil next summer while the runner-up must engage in one more playoff to earn passage. Malta started its tournament with a 1-0 loss against Armenia. The team then lost 2-0 against Italy; one of the goals came in the 92nd minute of play. Malta finally scored its first goal of the campaign in a 3-1 loss to the Czech Republic before imploding against Bulgaria in a 6-0 blowout loss. In their most recent match, the Maltese lost 2-0 against Italy.
Armenia currently sits in fifth place but has a huge advantage over Malta; the club has only competed in four qualifying matches this campaign. The team earned its only points in its first game against Malta. After that 1-0 victory Armenia lost 1-0 against Bulgaria and 3-1 against the Czech Republic. In their more recent game, the Armenians lost 3-0 against the Czechs. The squad has only scored twice in the entire tournament; Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Artur Sarkisov were the lone goal scorers.
Prediction: Malta has one goal in the entire tournament and has yet to show any indications of making a deep run. Look for Armenia to put on a show for its fans in a 3-0 win.
Start Time: 12:00 PM EST
TV: Armenia TV
Watch Live Stream on ESPN3 by clicking HERE.
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