Australia vs Peru: Preview and Prediction
Australia and Peru will compete in the AFC vs CONMEBOL Inter-Confederation playoff of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. This match will be played at Al Rayyan’s Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Monday.
Australia failed to qualify for the World Cup directly as they finished second in their group in AFC’s third round stage – behind Saudi Arabia and Japan. However, the Socceroos defeated United Arab Emirates 2-1 in the fourth round match to qualify for this round.
On the other hand, South American side Peru finished fifth in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, winning seven of their 18 matches and drawing three. From CONMEBOL, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Ecuador finished ahead of Peru and earned a direct entry.
Current Form
Though they might have defeated the United Arab Emirates in their last match, Australia’s recent form is not particularly promising. Out of their last nine matches, Graham Arnold’s men have only won three – against Vietnam, Jordan and UAE.
Besides that, they have also had to suffer three defeats – twice against Japan and one against Saudi Arabia and played out as many draws – against Saudi Arabia, China PR and Oman. However, it also has to be noted that the Socceroos were on a winning streak before these nine games.
On the other hand, Peru has done fairly well in their recent run of fixtures. La Blanquirroja has lost only one of their nine matches – against a much stronger opponent in Uruguay. Besides that, Ecuador and Panama were able to restrict Ricardo Gareca’s team to draws.
However, keeping these three matches aside, Peru has also won six of their last nine games – beating Bolivia, Venezuela, Jamaica, Colombia, Paraguay and New Zealand in the process. Hence, they will be a fairly confident outfit coming into this match.
Head to Head Record
With their continents being different, Peru and Australia rarely cross paths. In fact, they have met previously on only one occasion – back in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. La Blanquirroja emerged as 2-0 winners in that fixture, courtesy of goals from Andre Carrillo and Paolo Guerrero.
Team News
Christian Cueva is Peru’s most lethal attacking weapon
Arnold will miss only one player in this match as Celtic midfielder Tom Rogic has withdrawn his name from the squad, citing personal reasons. The Aussie tactician is expected to set his team up in a straight 4-4-2 formation.
Skipper Mathew Ryan is expected to be the last line of defense, placed behind a backline of Nathaniel Atkinson, Kyle Rowles, Bailey Wright and Aziz Behich. Martin Boyle, Jackson Irvine, Aaron Mooy and Mathew Leckie are expected to be deployed in the middle of the park, while the onus of scoring goals will be on the shoulders of Ajdin Hrustic and Jamie Maclaren.
On the other hand, Gareca is likely to miss two of his reliable players. Alianza Lima defender Christian Ramos and Club Atlas midfielder Edison Flores are recovering from injuries and they are unlikely to be fit in time for this game. Peru could line up in a 4-3-3 set-up in this fixture.
Luis Advincula, Carlos Zambrano, Alexander Callens and Miguel Trauco are likely to form the four-man backline, with Pedro Gallese deployed under the sticks. Renato Tapia, Yoshimar Yotun and Sergio Pena might form the midfield trio, while as for their attacks, Peru will be reliant on Andre Carillo, Gianluca Lapadula, and Christian Cueva.
Predicted Starting Lineups
Australia (4-4-2): Mathew Ryan; Nathaniel Atkinson, Kyle Rowles, Bailey Wright, Aziz Behich; Martin Boyle, Jackson Irvine, Aaron Mooy, Mathew Leckie; Ajdin Hrustic, Jamie Maclaren.
Peru (4-3-3): Pedro Gallese; Luis Advincula, Carlos Zambrano, Alexander Callens, Miguel Trauco; Renato Tapia, Yoshimar Yotun, Sergio Pena; Andre Carillo, Gianluca Lapadula, Christian Cueva.
Prediction
There is a considerable gap between the rankings of the two sides, with Peru being placed 22nd in the FIFA Men’s World Rankings and Australia being positioned in the 42nd place.Moreover, the fact that Peru regularly rubs shoulders with some of the world’s biggest teams in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay will only help their cause. Hence, we have predicted La Blanquirroja to confirm their tickets to Qatar by winning this match.