All to play for in Armenia

Pyunik's cup of plenty 
In came Argentinian coach Oscar López, who has been joined on the playing staff by compatriots José André Bilibio and Miguel Sistéra. Russian goalkeeper Ruslan Lyaschuk was the club's third major signing. The early signs are good: the new-look Pyunik having silenced the critics with a series of strong displays in the Armenian Cup.

Shirak get serious 
Arguably the main threat will come from Shirak. The City stadium has seen little in the way of transfer activity, with the three-times champions preferring to bring up rather than buy in their players. However, the large contingent of Under-21 internationals on their books should make Shirak serious contenders.

No change at Zvartnots 
Another team with designs on the championship trophy are Zvartnots. Stable and solid, they are tipped for a top-three finish despite not having added to their squad. In fact, the only change came when coach Samvel Kasaboglyan extended his remit to include the role of club president.

European experience for Spartak 
It was the opposite case at FC Spartak Yerevan, where Karen Barsegyan, Dmitry Vorobjev and Andrey Chopenko were the key additions. Just as important could be the experience gained from taking the players on a series of training camps across Europe.

Russian influence at MIKA 
Elsewhere, FC MIKA underwent perhaps the biggest upheaval of the pre-season. The arrival as coach of former Russia U-21 chief Valeri Gladilin heralded the signing of nine of his countrymen, including the ex-FC Spartak Moscow defender Sergei Gorlukovich. The new blend certainly proved too strong for FC Lori in the recent cup tie which MIKA won 7-0.

Soviet connection 
Finally, a special mention goes to FC Ararat Yerevan, once a famous name in the old USSR championship. Only two men survived a cull of last season's squad - Alexander Tadevosyan and Armen Arakelyan - as they look to bring the good times back to the Nairat stadium.