Lopez picked Mali-born goalkeeper Edela Bete and Cameroonian midfielder Carl N'Kale Lombe along with five other players from his club side, Pyunik Yerevan, in a 22-man squad for the group six opener in Yerevan.

The 65-year-old Argentine also included his compatriot Jose Bilibio, a defender who was granted Armenian citizenship earlier this year.

Lopez was appointed last month as coach of Armenia's national side for the Euro 2004 qualifying campaign after steering Pyunik to the domestic league and cup double in his first season at the helm.

The Armenians were forced to cancel last month's warm-up against Latvia in Riga because they could not obtain entry visas for six of their dual nationality players including Bete and Bilibio.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Roman Berezovsky (Dynamo Moscow), Armando Ambartsumyan (Marek Plovdiv, Bulgaria), Edela Bete (Pyunik Yerevan)

Defenders: Sarkis Hovsepyan (Zenit St Petersburg), Arutyun Vardanyan (Young Boys Berne), Karen Dokhoyan (Krylya Sovietov Samara), Armen Petikyan (Mika Ashtarak), Alexander Tadevosyan (Ararat Yerevan), Artur Mkrtychan, Jose Bilibio (both Pyunik Yerevan)

Midfielders: Albert Sarkisyan (Torpedo Moscow), Artur Petrosyan (Young Boys Berne), Artur Voskanyan (Dhigenis Morphou, Cyprus), Romik Khachatryan (APOEL Nicosia, Cyprus), Karen Aleksanyan (Shirak Guimri), Egishe Melikyan (Banants Yerevan), Vardan Minasyan, Agvan Mkrtychan, Carl N'Kale Lombe (Pyunik Yerevan)