In more exciting UEFA World Cup qualifying play, the Armenians will take on the Italians in a Group B competition. Armenia will look to pull off an upset against the heavily favored Italy, who sits atop the respective group with Bulgaria (4 points each).

The Armenians haven't performed very well thus far in the 2012 World Cup qualifiers. Although they defeated Malta 1-0 with a 70th minute Arthur Sarkisov goal, their momentum was brought to a screeching halt when they went down to Bulgaria in a 1-0 defeat. Armenia seemingly got desperate, as their overly aggressive play resulted in red cards against players Marcos Pizzelli and Gevorg Ghazaryan. 

To top that off, the club also racked up five yellows in their two games while simultaneously stumbling in the WCQ rankings from the mid-50's down to the 60's.

For the Armenians to stand a chance against the Italians, they must capitalize on their lagging offense. Despite their overall success against Malta, (65 percent possession, 15 shots and 15 corners), the Italians were only able to score twice in the respective match. Therefore,  it is imperative that Armenia steps up their defense for their team to stay in the underdog match. If they fail to do so, then it will likely be the result of tough resistance at the hands of Giampaolo Pazzini and the rest of Italy's talented core of young strikers.

On a positive note, the Armenians have shown overall improvement under head coach Vardan Minasyan. The football club's Euro 2012 qualifying campaign was their greatest performance to date, as they finished third in their group and a mere four points from qualifying.

With Sargis Hovsepyan retired and Pizzelli and Ghazaryan suspended, Minasyan will be forced to make changes to his lineup. All in all, the cards will be stacked against the Armenians.

CLICK HERE to watch Armenia vs. Italy via live stream. Coverage will begin at 9 p.m. Local Time (Armenia).

Tags: FIFA World Cup television